A Ray of Light in the Darkness
by ulyferal
Summary: Out of the past comes a nightmare Feral had hoped to escape. (A complete rewriting of "The Secret Life of an Enforcer Commander". Making it a totally different piece.)
1. Chapter 1

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 1 - Kidnaping and Rescue**

_**Author's Note: May 2011 - This was originally called The Secret Life of an Enforcer Commander. Like a few other stories of mine, I felt it needed a complete overhaul. Hope this version meets your approval and isn't as confusing as the first one was when I realized I'd constantly switched from first to third person all over the place and left far too much out of the plot.**_

Doing special patrols in search of the missing Chief Enforcer, the SWAT Kats were passing over the warehouse district late one morning, four days after Feral had disappeared, Razor's instruments picked up an odd power signature in an otherwise abandoned business.

"Hey buddy, go back over that area of warehouses we just went past. I'm getting some strange readings that just shouldn't be there," he ordered.

"Copy that," T-Bone responded, returning the jet to their last location.

"Pinned it down. Location is in the old Firebird Design Warehouse."

"I take it you want to check it out, eh?" the tabby asked, knowing the answer already, as he put the jet on hover and looked around for a secure and strong place to land the jet.

Razor snorted. "Well, it could be Hard Drive or Dark Kat who has Feral and this odd signal might be them so of course were checking it out. Set down on the next building over, T-Bone...it has a denser roof and can handle the jet's weight."

"Roger, setting down." T-Bone used the air jets to move the Turbokat slowly forward then lowered them down to the roof, smooth and easy, shutting the engines once its wheels had settled.

Shooting back the canopy, the pair leaped down onto the tarred roof. Razor secured the jet before they raced across to the short wall facing the targeted building. Using their grappling lines they shot across the space and landed quietly. Noting a skylight, they walked toward it as silently as possible, crouching down as they approached so the sun wouldn't cast their shadows within then peered in cautiously.

Through the grimy glass, the view was of an upper floor of the warehouse where they beheld a disturbing sight. They had found Feral alright but nothing prepared them for what they saw. No Dark Kat, creeplings or other omega greeted their eyes, only a male that didn't look like a Kat. Through a broken pane of glass they could hear what was being said below. What the odd creature was doing and saying held them spellbound with shock.

The room was mostly empty except for a chair and the immense four poster bed where Commander Feral was presently shackled to and lying face up naked on. The mattress was covered with cream colored silk sheets but had no pillows or blankets. The tom's feet had been spread wide and chained with cuffs to each bed post while his front paws had been gathered together and held by some kind of metal sheath that encased them entirely and was attached to the wall at the head of the bed.

The stranger, who was also naked, was stretched out over Feral's body, hiding it from view except for his face that they could easily see. The male was larger and taller than Feral and possessed the same colored fur and hair, except the hair was longer, cascading down his back freely, with a cream colored streak running from front to back and down the center of his head.

The scene itself wasn't that odd if this was an S and M tryst but judging by the look of sheer terror and anguish on Feral's face, the Commander wasn't there voluntarily and something else was wrong with this picture: Feral's eyes!

The big tom's normally gold colored eyes were missing and in their place were these eerie glowing, tri-colored ones (an outer ring of gold, inner ring of amber, and a center of orangish gold). They'd never seen anything like that before and couldn't figure out what could have possibly caused such an eye change in the first place.

Feral's terror ramped up as they watched the other male get comfortable, his face above the frightened tom's. The Commander made a valiant effort to unseat his unwanted sex partner, fangs snapping at the male's face, bucking his body wildly, but his tormentor only laughed and appeared unaffected. They could see the effects of previous failed attempts to escape by the multiple healing sores and dried blood visible on Feral's ankles.

His captor continued to laugh evilly at his victim's attempts to dislodge him, the same long fangs flashing into view, the sound sending shivers down the watchers spines. Defeated, Feral wilted and closed his eyes but that only angered the other male. "Keep your eyes open bitch!" The male barked, fetching Feral a harsh slap to the face. The Commander quickly opened his eyes again, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks as he stared upward at his kidnapper.

T-Bone made a move to rise and leap down to rescue the Enforcer but Razor stayed him with a hard grip on the tabby's arm. Drawing his partner away from the window so they wouldn't be heard, the smaller SWAT Kat hissed, "no, we can't just leap in there. My instruments indicate that tom is the one giving off the strange power signature I found and its risen off the scale. I don't know what he is, buddy, but he's most definitely not a Kat and we won't help Feral if we're incinerated before we even reach the floor."

The tabby gaped at his friend. "How can he do that? He's naked! You can tell he doesn't have a weapon on him."

"According to my readings, that male doesn't need one. Somehow his body is a weapon. Sort of like Hard Drive's surge coat except this guy can apparently generate his own energy in some fashion. All I know is, if we jump down there right now, neither of us will live to save the Commander. I'm sorry but we have to wait until he leaves before we can help."

"But he's going to rape him?"

"Feral's been gone four days, buddy. How do you know the kidnapper hasn't already done that multiple times? By the looks of his ankles, the fear and pain on Feral's face, I think we can safely say he's been abused a lot already," Razor whispered, anger heavy in his voice and no happier than his partner about letting Feral continue to be abused. "He'll just have to put up with it again."

Furious, T-Bone subsided and reluctantly nodded. The two returned to the window and watched helplessly as the strange male spoke for the first time since they'd arrived, his words malicious and cruel.

"I love how you struggle my mate. It just makes taking you that much sweeter. I need to dump power so take my gift and remember you have only yourself to blame for your present predicament." Fitting action to words the huge male lined his hips up with Feral's and thrust forward, hard, which, considering the position Feral lay in, should have done nothing but bash the poor tom's cock and balls but instead the male slid inside something the two watchers couldn't see but definitely caused Feral pain as he wailed in a voice already too hoarse to be heard very well. The male laughed as he thrust fast and furious within his helpless victim causing the maximum amount of pain he could.

After more than ten minutes of brutal thrusting, the male climaxed, his body giving off a tremendous amount of energy that lit up the room like a small sun and caused the watchers to turn their heads or be blinded. As the light faded, they turned back to see the male, grinning with pleased satisfaction, pull out of Feral and climb off the bed, blood streaking his semi-hard cock.

Feral lay moaning and whimpering in pain. His now revealed body shocking T-Bone and Razor to the core.

"OMG! Feral's a she not a he!" T-Bone blurted, though he remembered, just in time, to whisper. Razor just stared down into the room in angry disbelief and horror.

The rapist gloated down at the revealed female. "Perfect as always my traitorous mate. Maybe later I will let you finally release your energy too, if you continue to cooperate that is. Until then the backed up power will remind you forcefully how displeased I am that you had run away. Perhaps you will finally learn to obey your master and clan."

He leaned closer, an ugly sneer of anger pulling at his mouth. "Just remember, you asked for this...all of it. You'll be lucky I don't kill you when I'm through for the humiliation you caused me by fleeing our home. The clan beat me and threw me out for allowing a breeding female to leave. I've searched these many years for you since I had no home and nothing else to do thanks to you. I plan to make you pay for all that lost time by getting you pregnant and dragging you back to the clan holdings, properly cowed, and regain my rightful place among them so plan on being used until you carry my cub, you worthless bitch. It's up to you how long this will take," he warned cruelly then turned away. He grabbed a robe that lay over the chair and pulled it on before striding to the door and out, slamming it closed behind him, leaving Feral to cry tears of despair and pain.

T-Bone saw red. That weird tom was a monster! From what he'd heard, the creature had been Feral's mate and had apparently abused her for a long time before she managed to escape and make it to Megakat City then he...no she had attempted to make a new life by hiding and pretending she was male. She nearly succeeded but her tormenter finally tracked her down. Obviously, despite her Enforcer training, the guy managed to ambush and take her prisoner, beginning his abuses all over again.

There was a place in hell for such a person, the tabby felt and he'd like to send that creature there courtesy of his own two paws. It sickened him to see the once proud Commander lay there sobbing like her life was over. Well she'd not suffer any longer, not if he could help it.

Without a word to his partner, he lifted the window up and propped it so it wouldn't fall then used his grappling line to drop into the room, his partner right beside him. They ran to Feral's side and studied the shackles holding her in place on the bed. They each took a corner and undid the cuffs on her ankles then went to the head of the bed. While Razor studied the device holding her paws over her head, T-Bone tried to calm Feral down. It twisted something inside him to see the once proud person he'd known as a rough and powerful fighter and leader reduced to anguished tears of despair, it just seemed so wrong in so many ways.

"Shh...it's alright...we're here to rescue you," he whispered, soothingly but she wasn't hearing him. He touched her arm carefully to get her attention but she flinched and kept her eyes closed, weeping silently.

It hurt to have her pull away from his touch like that but he understood and tried not to let it bother him. Not wanting to upset her further, he kept his paws to himself and studied his former antagonist more closely, cataloging with his eyes all the differences from the person he thought he knew.

There were the unusual eyes and the faint hint of the same cream streak the male had but that she obviously had dyed and needed to do again, as well as those unusually long fangs. Her built, height and muscles were similar to that of a male Kat but that was where the similarity ended. She possessed ample curves and breasts that he was surprised no one had noticed especially her own Enforcers. It was obvious she had worked very hard to perfect her male disguise, including the voice, proper male posturing, and walk, carrying off the charade with great skill all these years. He had to give her a lot of credit for doing such a good job fooling everyone. But what exactly was she?

Razor stopped trying to remove the restraint holding her paws and asked that very question. Leaning down over her, he asked softly, "Feral, I know you're hurting and afraid but before I can remove this thing holding your paws I need to know what you are."

Feral didn't react to the question at first, too miserable and afraid, until she felt a warm breath of air brush her face and catch the scent of someone other than her mate. Surprised, she opened her eyes to stare in confusion at the masked face of a familiar cinnamon tom. She hadn't heard what he'd said, so grateful was she to have been found even if it were by a vigilante, that she begged him to release her.

"Get me away from here before he comes back!"

"We will, I promise, but we need to know what you are as these restraints are holding something back and I'm afraid to release them until I know what might happen if I do," Razor repeated, gently.

"Oh..uh...I'm a Sabaren."

"Wha...I thought you guys were a myth!" Razor reared back in shock.

T-Bone eyed them both in confusion. He'd never heard of a Sabaren before.

"They are a species of feline that can absorb the energy created by nature and expel it through their paws as a weapon or defense, making them the most dangerous creatures in the world and thought to be a myth or at the very least extinct," Razor explained, still shaken by the discovery.

"Obviously, they are very much alive, buddy," T-Bone snorted, eyeing Feral curiously. "So what does that mean about getting her out of this mess?"

"Well, I know it's made of a special alloy and now I know why. It keeps her from expelling her power when he dumps his. The cruel bastard actually added to her own energy load, backing it up. It can't be comfortable and will kill her if he doesn't let her release it soon."

"The son of a bitch..." T-Bone snarled angrily. "So we help her release her power."

Razor blushed and looked both unhappy and uncomfortable at the same time.

"You must do what my mate did to help me release my energy," Feral interrupted, hoarsely, looking both resigned and anguished at the prospect.

T-Bone's mouth gaped in shock then snapped shut before he blurted, "...no...we can't do that...he's already hurt you badly, besides which of us could do this? Why can't we just release your paws? Wouldn't that allow you to dump your energy?"

Feral gave him a sad smile. "Sorry, no. These horrible restraints are a favorite toy of his to punish me. It simply keeps me from dumping my energy when he dumps his."

Razor shifted his feet, totally embarrassed by this subject. "I'm afraid you're the obvious choice, T-Bone. I'm unable to perform in public and you're the more experienced of us two." He felt terrible leaving this burden on his friend but someone had to do it and it wouldn't be him.

T-Bone rolled his eyes and felt strange to be put in such a position but as the more Kat about town and sexually skilled, the deed would have to be done by him. Shaking his head, he stared down at the still traumatized female watching him with frightened, pleading eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I've never hurt a female in my life and he's made you bleed, it will surely cause you pain if I have to do the same to you despite me being more gentle about it but that's the only option we've got to get you out of here before he comes back. Can you trust me to do what I must? I'll try to make it good for you if I can, promise," He said, feeling just sick about this.

Eyeing the upset SWAT Kat, Feral didn't need T-Bone telling her she was out of options but it helped to hear the anguish this caused him. It meant he was sorry and concerned for her something no one had felt for her before in her life.

In a strange way, it made her feel better that he found no enjoyment in having to do this nor sought revenge against her for the way she'd treated them both. She'd heard tales of his compassion but hadn't believed it until now. That was a good thing to know in this situation however, he was male and she'd been hurt so many times by that gender it was nearly impossible for her to trust one now but she had to escape and he was the only way she'd be able to do that.

Swallowing down her fear she whispered, "I...it's hard to let a male near me after what he's done to me, but I want my freedom. I can't bear anymore of his cruelty so do what you must but hurry! He will be back soon! Just make it quick, please."

Well if that didn't kill ones libido he didn't know what else could, though having sex with an unwilling female certainly was a close second, he thought then shrugged it off angrily. It was the only way and dragging it out was even crueler, so swallowing his distaste for what he was about to do, he called on all his skills as a lover to make it as good for her as he possibly could given the short time period. While he readied himself, his partner averted his face and focused on removing the restraint device, trying hard to ignore what was about to happen right next to him.

With as much care as he could muster, T-Bone tried to ignore her shuddering and flinching at his touch and her tightly closed eyes as he began a gentle massage of her body trying to relax her and gain trust, starting with her shoulders and working down her torso. Her fur was thicker and plusher than any Kat female he'd been with and felt wonderful under his fingers as he dug into her tense muscles.

Though they had an unknown length of time before her mate returned, there was just no hurrying this. A sharp clunk of sound startled them both. Looking up quickly, he saw Razor give him an apologetic look as he removed the shackles and her arms fell limply at her sides, not within her control as circulation had been cut off for some time. She hissed at the unpleasant return of blood flow.

Halting the massage of her body, he picked up an arm and briskly worked at getting the circulation moving then moving to the other arm. She sighed in relief when the severe pins and needles finally eased and she could move her arms more easily after several minutes. Once her arms were more comfortable, T-Bone returned to massaging her body making his touches more intimate. He never noticed his partner withdraw and take up a guard post at the door the male had disappeared through. His whole focus was on getting her ready for his invasion while hoping he could perform under such conditions.

Her eyes still closed, she realized in surprise that she had all but ceased her flinching at his touch and was actually enjoying his massaging fingers. For the first time since her kidnapping her body was able to relax.

All her life, she'd only known rough treatment, first by her father than by her mate that had been chosen for her. Sex was something to be endured rather than enjoyed. That hadn't changed with her escape to this city. Because of her need to hide her true sex, she was reduced to dumping power with males on the fringe of society who could be paid for their silence. Far too many of them were cruel, clumsy, or downright nasty. Only a handful had tried to be kind and gentle but those were very few and she couldn't risk developing a relationship with them and retain her secret identity making sex for the past twenty years just a harsh necessity.

So as this male treated her gently and with consideration, she was totally unprepared for how good this felt. It was a new experience that she was almost afraid to enjoy for fear it would turn out to be just a dream. Her body, however, was having no trouble believing the reality of this more pleasant treatment and was reacting in a way she'd never associated with sex before.

Her head wasn't certain how to respond so she let it go blank and let her body lead the way. Doing that allowed her to feel the power singing through her as it strained for release. It had never been this strong before and it scared her. Would this male be able to handle it...or would it be too much for them both. Too late to turn back now.

A sigh of pleasure was surprised from her lips as a particularly enjoyable touch sent a tingle of sweetness through her. Wow, what was that? She wondered but couldn't bring herself to open her eyes and see what he was doing.

T-Bone sighed mentally, relieved to see her beginning to enjoy his touches as he pressed his advantage, hurrying a little as he felt time passing quickly. Licking his fingers, he drew wet rings around her nipples then blew on them causing them to rise into hard peaks then drew those same fingers down her chest to her belly then her mound. Here he was as gentle as he could possible be, caressing with light feathering touches to her poor abused clitoris.

Her whole body jolted in pain and pleasure, the mix confusing her while also exciting her at the same time. He teased the hood carefully knowing it was sore but relieved it wasn't too bad for her by the reaction he got. She gasped and jerked again at each of his touches, the last brush against her soft folds causing her eyes to open in surprise, staring at him questioningly.

Those amazing tri-colored eyes fascinated him. They helped keep him from seeing the Feral he knew from before and only seeing the female he was trying to please right now. He could almost picture how she would look if her hair were allowed to grow long and silky once more with that intriguing cream streak in it, softening the harsh features of her very male looking face.

Allowing that fantasy image to make him more receptive to her scent and very female body, he felt his own sex begin to rise. Continuing his attentions to her soft folds, he flicked his finger up and down in a slow rhythm that got her hot and wet.

Oh, the touch felt so good and so very different from any of her past experiences, she thought in surprise. She stared at him, fascinated, as he pulled so many incredible sensations from her she never knew she could feel. The only thing that spoiled it a little was her energy straining harder to be released. She knew she couldn't hold out much longer.

Seeing her excitement increase and her body begin to glow, T-Bone knew he had to make his move now. Releasing himself from his g-suit, he climbed on the bed then covered her carefully, not quite lowering his body completely on hers, allowing her to get used to him simply being there. This close to her he was surprised by a current of energy caressing his body and making him harden more. He blinked in surprise. Well that was certainly handy, he thought. Let's just hope she's ready too.

Carefully and gently, he tested her readiness with a single finger. She groaned involuntarily but not in pain at his touch. His finger came away with clear fluids and he detected she was receptive now.

With great care he nudged her with his now hard pole. She raised her hips to make it easier for him and he slid home into her warm body more easily than he thought possible since she'd already suffered from before but that seemed to have been swept away by proper lubrication and preparation on his part.

That hurtle out of the way, he began a gentle thrusting movement but because she felt no pain for the first time in her life, only a wonderful fullness and a rising sensation of pleasure, she grew restless and eager. Suddenly, she wanted this and didn't hesitate to tighten around his tool and rock her hips against him causing even more waves of pleasure. It felt incredible.

He could tell she was enjoying the ride and was no longer as fearful. He picked up the pace as waves of sensation washed through them on a gentle tide of pleasure. His paws continued to rub up and down her body increasing the sheer erotic intensity he was building, sending her higher and higher.

As for her energy, it rose to a fever pitch till she could take no more and released it in a strong wave of orgasmic energy sending them both over the edge. T-Bone bite his arm to keep from roaring his pleasure while she bite her lip, accustomed to staying silent during sex. The room glowed so brightly, Razor had to hide his face in his arms. When he could see again he found the pair limp and breathing fast.

Putting his ear to the door, he carefully listened for anyone coming on the other side but all was quiet. Assured it was safe at the moment, Razor hurried to the pair's side and began shaking his partner.

"Come on buddy, we've got to get out of here" he hissed, urgently.

Struggling to rouse himself, T-Bone carefully disengaged from her and climbed off the bed. He set his clothes to rights before coaxing Feral to rise from the bed, giving her a paw to help her stand. When she was on her feet and reasonably steady, he searched around for something to cover her nakedness when the door suddenly slammed open and in strode her mate.

He was dressed in a simple green t-shirt and black jeans with black pull on boots. For a split second, he could only stand there in shock and confusion at the sight before him but, in the next instant, that was wiped away by a blinding fury as he launched himself at the two strangers who dared to take his mate.

Shoving Feral to her knees to keep her safe, T-Bone raised his glovatrix and fired a tarpedo at the furious male. It caught him in mid leap and ruined his attack causing him to fall to the floor, long talons at his face trying to remove the gooey substance.

Razor hadn't been slacking as he immediately fired a net missile at the Sabaren, entangling his limbs. That seemed to halt him at first, but as soon as he was able to remove the tar, his long talons made short work of the net treating it as if it were string rather than weaved steel.

Free, the Sabaren leaped from the floor to the nearest opponent which was T-Bone sending them both to the floor. T-Bone struggled to fire another missile but the Sabaren had his weapon's paw in a death grip. Those talons threatened to rip the tabby open from face to crotch but Razor was quick to fire a flashblub missile that blinded the male and forced him away from T-Bone.

The burly SWAT Kat rolled quickly away before jumping to his feet. Blinking furiously to clear his eyes, the male roared again and lunged at them. The two fighters split apart letting their opponent miss them but Sabaren's are super fast so the male was already spinning on his heel and heading back toward them before they could take a breath and decide what else to try in such a confined space.

Suddenly a scream of fury rent the air and a dark shape hurtled itself toward the male, slamming him into a nearby wall then falling to the floor and rolling around as each tried to win against the other.

T-Bone and Razor watched in shocked surprise as Feral fought her mate with her talons and ultra long fangs that she used to rip and tear at him anywhere she could reach. Her fury was such that she had lost her fear and was determined to kill him. Blood began to fly as she tore at him mercilessly.

The male did almost as much damage to his mate. Using fists and claws, he broke ribs and dug a nasty furrow down her back as they struggled to overcome the other. She pulled back a fist and fetched him a bruising upper cut to his jaw but he blew it off and slammed a fist to her head setting it to ringing.

She'd never beaten him in the past or when he'd taken her some days ago and she wouldn't succeed doing so now, he thought arrogantly.

But Feral wasn't just a highly trained Enforcer but a Sabaren who'd been pushed to her limit and beyond and wanted revenge. Her mate found himself fending off blows that were those of a trained fighter and that were actually getting through his defenses and causing serious damage which only infuriated him more.

As for the SWAT Kats, the combatants were too close together for them to get a clear shot at the male. Razor was making the decision to knock them both out with a gas grenade before one of them succeeded in killing the other when Feral finally got the upper paw.

When the male had managed to hamstring her arms and legs with her back pressed against his chest, she made one last ditch effort. Jerking her head backward and to the side, she managed to bite his neck and, using her fangs, rip his throat out. Tearing his carotid artery, he bled out fast making his body too weak to hold her any longer. He collapsed to the ground, blood gushing out rapidly.

His eyes stared up at her in shock as she raised off him, his blood dripping from her jaws and soaking her chest. As she glared at him, he felt his life slip away, a look of dumbfounded disbelief filling his eyes as he realized she had actually succeeded in killing him. She watched as the light left his eyes forever and his chest stilled, her revenge complete.


	2. Chapter 2

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 2 - Her Shocking Secret Revealed**

Feral rolled off the body and staggered to her feet, shock setting in as she fully realized she'd actually killed her mate. She should be relieved...she was finally free of him but instead only horror and emptiness filled her. Turning away, she tried to flee it all but her body had been through too much already and refused to obey her. Her strength gave out, her body falling limply with only T-Bone's quick lunge and catch preventing her from hitting the floor. With Razor's help, he carried her back to the bed and laid her down carefully.

"We need to get the medics up here fast, buddy," Razor said, concerned.

"Should contact Callie as well. This is going to be a media circus and I don't think Feral will be able to handle all those people right now. She's still very dangerous despite being badly hurt and exhausted," T-Bone said thoughtfully. Dangerous was an understatement. Those long fangs and talons were formidable plus her ability to fire energy bursts, add in her Enforcer skills and she was someone you wouldn't want to mess with. He was thinking she could give the omegas a run for their money.

Razor nodded at that assessment. "You summon Callie while I get the Enforcers," he said, tapping his helmet and minutes later having a terse conversation with the dispatcher.

T-Bone pulled out the communicator they used to speak with the deputy mayor and pressed the button to send the signal to get her attention.

Some minutes later, there was a rather annoyed response. "Guys? I was in a meeting, what's so important?"

"Sorry, Ms. Briggs but you better get to our location on the double. We found Feral but the circumstances are so bizarre you're going to have to handle the Enforcers and the press." He gave her their location. "Better hurry, Razor has already summoned medical aid and the Enforcers."

Her sigh filtered out of the comm unit. "On my way." The connection cut out. He put the device back in his suit and leaned over to check on Feral.

She was curled in a ball and crying.

"Hey...it's okay... he's gone and help is on its way..." he tried to soothe her but she continued to cry inconsolably, ignoring his presence. He wasn't certain she even realized he was there. He shook his head. She was going to need all kinds of therapy after this, he sighed to himself. He went to the other side of the bed and tugged the sheet up so he could cover her with part of it.

Razor had found some blankets and sheets in a closet and brought one over to hand to T-Bone then took a sheet and covered the dead body. Looking over at his partner, he asked, "how's she doing, T-Bone?"

T-Bone shook his head. "I think she's in shock. It's all too much for her."

"Lots of therapy coming up in her life for awhile," his partner murmured.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."

Suddenly the sound of sirens was heard approaching their location.

"I'll go down and meet them, you stay with her." Razor went out the door and down a set of stairs that were part of a small landing. This room apparently was the only thing up here. At the bottom was a small area the male apparently had been using as his temporary flop. There was an overflowing trash can, a working fridge and microwave against the wall nearest the stairs, a cot with a sleeping bag on it, a scarred table and chair, a TV set, and a partly opened duffel bag sitting on the table. Hiding this area were stacks of empty boxes forming a small enclosure.

"Made himself to home, looks like," he muttered walking past the boxes out to the huge open area beyond that was the main warehouse. Just ahead was a pair of huge doors and next to them a single small door. That was the one he went to and picked the lock. When he opened it, he was greeted by Lt. Commander Steele who glared at him, obviously not happy the SWAT Kats had found the Commander and not them.

"So where's the Commander?" Steele barked.

"Follow me," Razor simply said, turning and walking back across the warehouse floor for the stairs.

Steele had wanted to order the twerp to leave now that they were here but decided against it. Much as he hated it, he did need to take their statements on what happened first. When they entered the room, the smell of blood and death swept out to greet them. On the floor just a few feet from the door was a dead body covered by a sheet that was already soaked with blood.

"So who's under the sheet," Steele demanded. "And where's Commander Feral?" He'd looked around but saw a bed with that other SWAT Kat standing before it and the other one taking up a spot beside him. There was no way to see if there was someone on the bed yet.

"What the heck is that?" one of his officers gasped having uncovered the body to look at it. Steele stared down and gaped. The body was of a male but it was obvious he wasn't a Kat but exactly what he was, he had no idea. No Kat had eyes nor fangs and talons that looked like the victims.

"That is a Sabaren," Razor answered.

Steele frowned. "A what?" Razor told him what little he knew of the species as the coroner arrived and gaped at the body before squatting next to it to study it more closely. Steele shook his head when the SWAT Kat finished. "So we have what is supposed to be an extinct or mythological species here who's dead. Who killed him and why?" His voice dripped disbelief.

Before Razor could answer, Ms. Briggs appeared. She gasped at the sight of the dead body more because it didn't look like a Kat rather than being upset because of it being dead...she'd seen too many of those in her time as deputy mayor.

"You're going to have a hard time believing this but listen closely. We witnessed and heard this so its fact not conjecture." Razor quickly and concisely explained what had gone on except for T-Bone helping Feral dump power. None of them needed to know that. It would only embarrass Feral and make things worse for her.

When he stopped talking, Steele glared angrily at him. "Oh come on. You're lying to save your own hides!" He scoffed coldly. The SWAT Kats response was to move aside and reveal the huddled form laying on the bed. Surprised, Steele and Callie approached the bed as the medics rushed forward as well but the vigilantes quickly stepped back in place to block their view and access to the bed.

"Just a minute! I said she was in shock but also that she's very dangerous despite that. She might mistake your attentions as an attack as males have not been kind to her in her life and her mate just finished abusing her again so that's fresh in her mind despite her having killed him. She's all kinds of messed up in the head right now so be careful and be alert if she reacts badly," Razor warned them.

Steele scowled angrily at them. "I've never heard such a load of bull before and I certainly don't believe for a second that Commander Feral is female and one of those creatures, now move!"

Eyeing each other, the pair slowly moved to the head of the bed. The medics quickly went to the figure's side and gently lifted the blanket covering it. However, before Steele or Callie could get closer there was a scream of fear and anger, the medics were being shoved to the floor by a suddenly dangerous creature who was now stumbling off the bed to stand bleeding, naked, and displaying all her natural weapons against them. Her eyes glowed, her expression was wild and terror ridden.

The Enforcers could only gape at this blood covered female apparition that was supposed to be their Commander, not recognizing him now in this newly revealed form. Callie's right paw rose to her mouth as she stared in shocked amazement. The medics, though stunned by her appearance, were more concerned about her state of mind and her appalling injuries. Steele was just plain shocked and horrified.

"Freeze! No one move!" T-Bone shouted.

"That can't be Feral!" Steele finally managed to blurt out.

"Oh come on, Steele, you can't say that. If you put clothes on her and contacts in her eyes that is unmistakably Feral," Razor growled at him in disgust.

"I believe you Razor," Callie said softly. "But how does anyone approach her safely to help her?" she asked, eyeing his Commander with some trepidation.

T-Bone answered that by slowly approaching Feral, his paws raised and his voice soft and soothing. "Easy Feral...it's okay now...no ones going to hurt you they just want to treat your wounds." He kept closing the distance between them with great care.

Feral sobbed for breathe as she stared wildly at him. Recognizing him as the one who'd helped her, she retracted her fangs and claws, allowing T-Bone to gather her up in his arms and begin rubbing soothing circles down her back to calm her.

"It's alright, you're going to be okay, I promise. Just take it easy," he said, softly. She shuddered and buried her face in his shoulder, huddling closer to him to hide herself.

Meanwhile, his partner had sidled carefully up to one of the medics and squatted beside him as T-Bone kept Feral from seeing or hearing any of them.

"Give me a strong sedative," he whispered.

The medic shook his head. "In her condition it could make things worse. Besides we're not certain of the dosage or if its safe for her. You said she's not a Kat."

"If we don't control her, no one will be able to get close enough to treat her. We'll just have to hope it works and is safe for her, now give me a sedative," Razor insisted. He understood their concerns but something had to be done now to control her. Feral was just too unpredictable. Sighing, the head medic gave in and selected a fairly safe sedative and filled the needle, handing it to Razor.

With syringe in paw, Razor waited until T-Bone was in control of the situation before carefully circling around until he was directly behind Feral. He quickly injected the contents into her left butt cheek where the medic said it would work more quickly. Fortunately, she was far to upset and in pain to have felt the needle prick. T-Bone gave his partner a grateful look and continued to hold Feral. It took a good ten minutes before the sedative finally put her down. She slumped limply in his arms.

The medics hurried to his side and took her body to lay on a gurney that had just been wheeled in. One of the medics began to take her vital signs while another covered her with a warm, thick blanket.

"That was enough sedative to take down at least three of her and she nearly didn't react to it," the examining medic said, shaking his head.

"They're supposed to be very powerful due to their ability to wield high levels of energy," Razor told them, helpfully.

"Don't know how we're supposed to help her without knowing more about her biology but we'll do our best."

"Don't forget the trauma she's suffered and from what we heard that creep of a mate say, he's been abusing her for years before she escaped him to come here. Her head has to be all messed up," T-Bone reminded them.

"I have it in my report, SWAT Kat. I think once her injuries have been taken care of, she'll most likely be sent to a center that specializes in cases like hers," the medic reassured him.

"Alright, let's get her out of here quickly," he commanded his team.

"Wait!" Callie barked. The medics stopped and stared at her in surprise. "Tight security will be observed and no one speaks to the press about who this is and what happened, understood?"

"Yes ma'am. We'll let the docs know in the ER and we'll cover her head when we go out," the lead medic agreed. Callie nodded and they hurriedly removed her from the building with two Enforcers she ordered to act as guards much to Steele's annoyance but didn't object aloud least it get him in trouble. He watched as the gurney disappeared through the door. This whole business was weird and going to cause him a headache. The only good news was he would be in charge for awhile since it looked like the Commander was going to be in the hospital for some time.

Turning to the Deputy Mayor he demanded, "so are you taking over this case or am I still allowed to do my job," he said nastily.

She glared at him. "Knowing there really exists Sabarens could cause a panic so keeping it under wraps will ensure that doesn't happen. From what the SWAT Kats overheard, Feral and her dead mate were the only two in the city. Until we can question her more fully, we'll keep a tight lid on this. Investigate and gather clues by all means but insure tight security is kept and that the information collected is not circulated. Have it all sent through you and a copy to me. I'll brief the Mayor and insure security is kept at the hospital by speaking with the administrator. I'll also find a place for her where her abuse issues can be treated. Just keep me in the loop Lt. Commander and we'll be fine."

He curled his lip but couldn't argue that her plans were sensible and necessary. "As you wish, Ms. Briggs. You two..." he said sharply to the pair attempting to slip away now that they weren't needed. "I need a statement from you now!"

Sighing, the pair returned to stand by Steele who took out a notebook. Callie reached into her briefcase and withdrew a small tape recorder. Over the next thirty minutes the two of them asked questions of the vigilantes until they'd gotten all the facts they could.

Before releasing the pair, Steele growled, "no speaking to the press...as Ms. Briggs said, this must be kept under wraps."

"No one will hear about this from us, Steele. Feral doesn't need anymore problems," T-Bone growled.

Callie blinked in surprise. It sounded like T-Bone truly cared what happened to Feral despite their past history but then, since the Commander turned out to be a she instead of a he and had been seriously abused, it made sense he felt a need to protect her now. She knew the big tom had a soft heart where females and kittens were concerned, it was just a surprise to see him applying that principle to their former antagonist.

The morgue attendants had already arrived and were collecting the body and the CSI team had begun gathering evidence. Steele followed Callie's instructions and ordered a security black out on the case. The body would be handled by the head forensic pathologist only and all reports would come to him personally, that applied to the CSI team as well. With his orders given he left for headquarters, bidding Ms. Briggs a tight goodbye on his way out.

Giving the pair a farewell wave, Callie left as well, pausing to give the press a brief cover story that simply stated Commander Feral had been found but was injured and that his kidnapper was killed. Despite their demands for more, Callie shook her head and pushed past them for her car. She had been pleasantly surprise that the usually glory hound Steele hadn't spoken to the press at all, leaving it up to her. As she left the scene for city hall, she could feel a headache coming on from the afternoons shocking revelation. All this time no one had known Commander Feral had been successfully carrying out a perfect charade, fooling all the Katizens of Megakat City.

But from what the SWAT Kats had overheard about Feral's treatment by her mate and perhaps her clan, she could only feel empathy for her rather than being upset by the deception. Feral had done what she had to in saving her life. However, no matter how justified her reasons were, Mayor Manx and the people of this city might not care. This had to be handled delicately.

When she reached her office, she spent the next two hours on the phone. First thing she did was institute a top security blanket surrounding Feral's true state of affairs, then called the hospital administrator where Feral had been taken, insuring a news black out was instituted there as well and that special precautions were taken to protect all concerned from Feral's unpredictable behavior. Next she spoke with the doctor responsible for Feral's care and after a long discussion came up with a secure place for her to go once her wounds had been taken care of.

She was glad the mayor had been out of the office most of the afternoon. When he finally showed up an hour before quitting time, she went in and brief him on what had happened.

Manx gaped at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Don't look at me like that!" She snapped, tired and ready to go home after such a trying afternoon.

"But Callie, if you'd heard what I'd just listened to you'd have problems believing it too," he said reasonably.

"Only if I hadn't witnessed it for myself which I did. I don't care how fantastic it sounded it was the truth...all of it. Commander Feral has been treated and is already at the Kanler Abuse Treatment Center as we speak and still sedated. I just hope she isn't completely over the bend from what her mate had done to her as I'd hate to have her put in a vault somewhere due to her abilities," she said worriedly. Feral's abilities did have her very worried but she had to hope the sense of duty Feral had learned as an Enforcer would help her get past her trauma and allow her to return to duty. The fact he was a she would have to be dealt with when she was better though she knew that secret couldn't be hidden from her Enforcers no matter how tight the security was supposed to be. Well that was for them to deal with. As long as the public didn't find out, she didn't care.

"Well, since you've done everything you can to keep a lid on this, I won't say anything about it either," Manx said, finally. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Who would believe me anyway," he muttered.

Callie rolled her eyes and returned to her office. She still had some work to finish before she could leave. What a day this has been, she sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 3 - Nightmares**

_**Flashback...twenty years earlier...**_

_She was soo tired. He'd been especially vicious with her today and her body bore the signs of his displeasure. He kept her energy levels deliberately low making her weak while keeping his at fighting strength. The cruelest thing he took pleasure in was forcing her to hold his excess power along with her own for days at a time with the use of a device he'd invented. It was agonizing and left her drained and weak when he let her release it during sex._

_It seemed, almost from the moment they'd joined, her mate found fault with everything she did. She had been barely sixteen when her father unceremoniously handed her over as if she was simply property. She was expected to produce a cub but two years later and just days before her eighteenth birthing day, she had still not done so. He blamed her for that and began beating her regularly and bottling her energy. She never dared to tell him, the problem might be him._

_From the very beginning he raped her...it certainly couldn't be called anything else as he sought his own pleasure, never hers, so the sex was always painful and brutal. She'd never known a gentle touch or caring word during the act and had to simply endure his constant attentions and drive to produce an heir of his body. Her failure simply goaded him to be more brutal in his treatment of her, the device to bottle her energy was just one of the many things he thought of to torture her with. _

_She screamed so much and often that her voice was permanently deep and rough. None came to rescue her, turning deaf ears to pleas for help or blind eye to her multiple bruises, wounds and broken bones. The reasons ranged from fear of her mate to feeling she somehow deserved her punishment for failing in her duty as a mate. The clan elders were the worst, heaping scorn and condemnation on her head. But, despite their disgust with her, she was still a breeding female and thus valuable as the clan births were dropping alarmingly and they had no idea why. _

_She wondered where their heads were that if females were so needed and valuable, they condoned the treatment of her and others. It made no sense but then she'd given up trying to understand the elders of her clan who were too old and hidebound to seek help from other clans or even secretly from the Kats. No, it was much better to just complain about the problem and continue the abuse of their females. Not more than a month ago a male brutalized his mate so badly she committed suicide. He was summarily thrown out of the clan but it didn't stop the abuse. Madness! _

_Her abuser hadn't yet stepped over the line but he was so very close. The beatings had become a constant way of life for her. He had nearly broken every bone in her body, some more than once. It was fortunate they were a strong species and healed quickly or she would already be dead. _

_She did everything she could possibly think of to please him so he would stop pounding on her but nothing seemed to appease him. She was beginning to think he got some kind of thrill hurting her as his methods of torture increased in inventiveness and frequency as time went on. _

_He and all the males not involved with hunting for food or were elderly, worked in the mines of their mountain home. When the long day ended, the younger, more daring males, would usually go down the mountain to the Kat city far below to seek various entertainments that took their minds off their otherwise, dreary life._

_For her it only meant he would come home drunk and force her to play out any number of sexual fantasies of the S and M variety that he'd learned from the Kats. She learned to hate the times he went to the city because it meant days of torture for her. When he didn't go, she suffered only the normal beatings and longer respites from them._

_The only surcease she got from the constant abuse was during the hours he was gone. She would quickly finish her chores, set food to cook in the oven on slow temp so it would take most of the day to finish, then escape to the woods. There she would seek her small hidden cave where she could hide from the clan's eyes and be able to dream of being free, living in some far away place, and perhaps even finding love...they were pleasant daydreams that helped keep her sane._

_Her clan lived in the high mountainous region above the Tymurr Federation. Kat kind thought they were a myth and they did their best to perpetuate that notion. They cared nothing for Kats even though they were the dominant species on the planet. _

_Sabarens preferred to live in the wilds, eschewing modern technology. They lived in caves they'd made comfortable with things they'd built themselves. The only modern things they were willing to have were stoves, fridges, fans, lamps, heaters and radios. To produce electricity, they cleverly used a nearby waterfall and hidden the generator, that sent the power to their homes, inside the mountain. The power lines were run through the walls to interconnect all the caves. They used modern lights and a rail system inside the mines. Everything else they needed they produced themselves: growing produce in small patches of land hidden in the thick forest; harvesting herbs, root plants, and berries from the land; hunting prey; building their own furniture; making their own clothing; and anything else they desired or needed. Though they did use bows and arrows, they much preferred their natural weapons of claw and fang._

_Despite this lifestyle, the younger generation much preferred to indulge in the more high tech city below them. Since they looked like Kats, except for their eyes for which they wore colored contacts to make them appear one color, it was easy to mingle and not be seen for being different at all. They sought out a variety of modern things like specialty stores, toys, various entertainments, restaurants, drinking alcohol and dancing in the night clubs._

_The elders had given up trying to halt their young from this rather reckless behavior and consoled themselves with the fact their youngsters did not desire to live among the Kats, preferring to use the modern city as a vacation, a place to blow off steam occasionally, then return home. For money (which they had no use for) they converted what they mined (precious jewels and metals) for the paper currency Kats used to acquire what they wanted or needed. The clan did avail themselves of certain medicines besides the machinery and repair parts they required to maintain their mine equipment from the city but nothing much else._

_She had never been to the city, her mate forbid it so she only knew about them from the gossip around the clan, but today that would change forever. She would soon begin a new life she'd never dreamed of._

_The night before, she had returned from her private sanctuary to the cabin as dusk fell and took the food from the oven. It was perfectly cooked. She served some for herself then put the rest away for him when he decided to come home. Cleaning up, she turned off the lights then went to bed._

_Toward dawn, she was awakened by his drunken shouts. Bolting up in bed, she clutched the bedding up to her chin and waited. It did her no good to go out and meet him or speak nor try to hide as he would find her easily as their noses were very keen. _

_By the sounds he was making, she knew he was angry about something which wasn't all that unusual as he had a volatile temper to begin with and it took nothing to set it off, but his shouts, curses, and the sound of breaking furniture wasn't normal. Her eyes widened even more as she waited in fear. Something was very wrong. Suddenly, he burst into the bedroom, slamming the door against the rock wall._

_He glared at her in the growing daylight coming through the doorway behind him. Storming toward the bed, he yanked her up by an arm and tossed her to the stone floor. She cried out in terror and pain which he ignored as he began to beat her. His blows held more fury than normal and he wasn't holding back as was his wont so as not to damage her too severely. It took all she had to avoid blows that could have killed her. By the time his fury had spent, she lay limp and bloody on the floor, badly hurt but alive. Spitting on her, he turned and stalked out of their home. _

_Her head rang from the many blows it had taken, her left arm was broken, she was covered in bruises from head to toe and he'd clawed bloody furrows into her back and chest. She lay there trying to breath past the pain. Why had he been so violent? What had she done to deserve this? No answers greeted her anguished thoughts, however, she did have an epiphany. _

_She'd leave! But that very thought terrified her. She knew nothing but her home, however, she also knew, with absolute certainty, next time he would kill her. Since no one cared about her welfare and she had no desire to die, leaving was her only option. _

_It took all her strength, which was greater than a Kats despite her presently weakened condition, to finally get to her feet, treat her wounds as best she could and splint her arm then gathered some clothing and the few personal items she wanted, stuffing them in a bag she'd made herself. Going to the kitchen, she packed water and travel rations then went to the small hand carved chest where he kept a small stash of jewels. Thankfully, there were still some there despite his trip to town last night. Thus prepared, she slipped from her home though it took a great deal of effort to move at all, her body was in so much pain. Her mate was no where to be seen or scented and it was too early for the clan to be stirring yet. _

_Struggling to put one food before the other, she deliberately kept her mind focused only on the ground beneath her feet and keeping her body moving away from the clan lands. In her daydreams she'd given her escape some considerable thought. Her plan was to head up and over the mountain, away from the city below her home. Her destination was the border of the Rickshur Provence that was on the other side. _

_It was an arduous trek even when one was healthy but nearly impossible when injured as badly as she was but determination, the will to live and the knowledge her mate would hunt her down and kill her if she didn't succeed, were what kept her moving and stumbling over the rocky and treed landscape as the morning dragged on toward midday._

_Many times her body cried out for her to stop but she didn't dare, afraid she wouldn't be able to get up again. She drank from her flask and ate some venison to keep her strength up. It was getting late in the afternoon when fate stepped in. A couple of patrolling border guards came upon her as she stumbled down the last stretch that separated the two countries and crossed over. They hurried to her side and were shocked by her condition. _

_Though they tried to get her to tell them what had happened to her, she felt it wiser to say nothing and let them make any assumptions they wanted as long as they got her out of here. To her immense relief, they had a chopper not far away that had dropped them off at their post just minutes before. They summoned it back to pick them and her up._

_As they lifted into the air and began to take care of some of her wounds, she smiled in her mind and thanked the Goddess of all Things for sending help her way. Her mate would be unable to trace her further than the pickup point where her trail would vanish and better yet, her rescuers were with her. Had they stayed behind, he would have forced them to tell him what had happened to her then killed them. She would have been devastated if that had happened._

_At the hospital, her wounds were treated and her arm casted, but before they could ask her questions on how she'd been injured, why her eyes looked so different, and discovered she wasn't a Kat at all, she slipped out of the room when they weren't looking, found a locker room and stole a set of scrubs, lucked out in finding a lost and found box where she got some sunglasses to hide her eyes and a hat to disguise much of her damaged face, then managed to just walk out of the hospital and down the street. _

_Though the pain meds made her a feel a little weird, they at least allowed her to move more easily so as not to draw attention to herself. She made for a small strip mall not far from the hospital where a helpful nurse had told her she could convert her gems and where the bus station was from there. _

_Soon she was climbing onto a bus that was going away from the place of her birth. She hadn't cared where she was going as long as it was far away from here. She slept peacefully for the first time in a very long time on the bus ride which was many hours long. When the bus stopped at another large city, she got off and went into the concourse, tried some new foods, cleaned up the best she could in the bathroom, then struggled to understand the bus schedule on the wall to determine where to go next. Not having any idea where anywhere was, she finally asked a helpful attendant where someone trying to start their life again should go._

_The tom eyed her in concern. The female looked tired and beaten and he felt sorry for her. He thought for a long moment then said, "well, many have thought Megakat City was the place to go perhaps you should try there?"_

_She smiled wanly, she thanked him, purchased a ticket then made for her bus. As it left the station, she was excited and afraid about starting a new life, praying her mate never found her._

_**Present...evening of her rescue from the empty warehouse...**_

Her head felt like cotton as she struggled to escape the images of a past she had left behind more than twenty years ago. Even the nightmares she'd suffered for a few years after had faded, so why was she reliving it now?

Where was she? What had happened to her? Flashes of images began to pass through her woozy brain ... the sudden attack by someone she couldn't see when she neared her vehicle and who had somehow overpowered her ... being blindfolded and dumped in the rear of her own vehicle barely conscious ... waking to being carried up somewhere and dumped on something soft ... feeling her body being tied down ... the blindfold being removed.

_A scream clogged her throat but didn't escape her mouth at the sight of a face she'd not seen in twenty years. His face was thinner and more worn than she remembered but the rage in those tri-colored eyes sent her back to that day she'd fled after he'd beaten her nearly to death. All her training and courage fled at the sight of that hated face and terror again filled her heart. His cruel threats of what he planned to do to her rang in her ears as he slapped her around and raped her endlessly for days ... feelings of helplessness, tears of rage and anguished defeat roared through her._

_No he would not win! She argued with herself and tried to pull out of the memories but they kept going as if it were a movie one couldn't turn off. The next images were of two familiar faces... the sense of great relief and joy at being rescued ...the tension of her backed up power ... the selfless willingness of the tabby to help her release her energy and the absolutely incredible sensation of the gentlest sex she'd ever had in her life. Then brutally her mate's sudden return and the battle that ensued. _

_She desperately did not want to see the end of this and struggled even harder to wake up but it was to no avail. The images kept unfurling ignoring her desperate attempts at waking herself so she was forced to remember the SWAT Kats fighting her mate but being hampered by the close confines of the room however, her mate had no such problem and was trying to kill them. The thought of him killing T-Bone who had been so kind to her cause something to snap within her. _

"_Nooo..." she screamed, leaping with talons and fangs extended to slam into her ex-mate, causing them to crash to the floor then the feeling of her claws ripping and tearing at him for all she was worth but he was still stronger than her and managed to pin her body down, his triumphant face staring into hers._

_Fury filled her as she whipped her head forward...mouth wide, fangs gleaming...she vaguely remembered the taste of hot meat in her mouth and the gush of blood filling it then suddenly everything seemed to freeze then move in slow motion, his look of shock, his arms falling away from her, his eyes staring into hers with disbelief and shock that she had killed him before the light went out of them forever. _

_Horror filled her...I've killed him...then her vision went dark...perhaps it was over? But she still wasn't awake! What was going on?_

_Suddenly her mate's leering face, his neck torn out, blood pouring down his body exploded into her mind. He was on his feet and lurching toward her, paws reaching as he spat in a gargling voice ..._

_"What's the matter bitch? Don't you like your handiwork? Don't you realize you can never get rid of me. I will always be here because you belong to me and no one will ever have you" he laughed maniacally, wrapping his arms around her ... she wailed in terror._

_~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~_

Screams from the new patient who'd arrived at the Kanler Abuse Treatment Center just a few hours ago, sent the on duty doctor, charge nurse, and an orderly racing to the patient's room. The orderly hurriedly unlocked the door and they all rushed in. The female was huddling in a corner and screaming at the top of her lungs. Her talons, fangs, and odd tri-colored glowing eyes made her a fearsome looking creature and caused them to pause a safe distance from her.

It was obvious to them the female was caught in the throes of a traumatic nightmare, her eyes clearly not focused on the here and now.

However, there was nothing they could do to try and wake her as she was far to dangerous to approach. Much as they hated it, they would have to wait until she came to herself naturally. They did try to call to her in the hopes she might eventually hear them, unfortunately, it took more than ten minutes for the screaming to abate but by then the patient was completely wrung out and exhausted and most likely feeling like crap.

She shuddered and heaved for breath as the nightmare finally released her. Sweat covered her body making her shiver which helped to bring her further awake. Blinking, she looked around her environment cautiously, searching for danger.

Someone wearing a white coat came into her view. She tilted her head up to stare at a gray colored tom with concerned green eyes. He held a blanket out as he cautiously approached her. She flinched away from him and hissed. He immediately halted, eyeing her carefully.

"It's alright Ulysses, I'm Dr. Shannon. I'm only here to help you. You've been through a lot and the nightmare didn't help matters I'm sure. This blanket will help warm you so you don't go into shock...may I come close enough to cover you and perhaps help you back to bed?" he asked quietly.

She stared at him in confusion and fear...he called her Ulysses...oh...that's right...that's the name I chose for myself when I got here. He seemed harmless enough but just having him stand as close as he was made her heart hammer in fear.

Dammit! I'm afraid of males again, she thought bitterly while feeling the bile begin to rise in her throat because of his closeness.

"No...don't come any closer," she choked, turning her face away, trying to hide.

The doctor eyed her in concern and mild confusion before it cleared as he realized something. "Is it because I'm male," he asked softly, moving back from her. She nodded quickly, not looking at him. "My apologies. It wasn't my intention to make you more uncomfortable. Will Nurse Jenner do?"

The patient shivered for some moments before daring to look up again. She relaxed a little when she saw he had moved back to the door and a red tabby female in a nurse's uniform was now holding the blanket and waiting for her answer.

"O-okay."

"Good." He nodded at the nurse who slowly approached the female then he leaned toward the orderly. "John, go get a bottle of water for her." The orderly nodded and slipped out the door.

Jenner was relieved when the patient didn't reject or threaten her as she reached her side and gently wrapped a blanket around her shivering form. "Would you let me help you to the bed? It would be more comfortable," the nurse coaxed.

Exhausted and cold, the patient reluctantly nodded, allowing the she-kat to help her to her feet and walk the short distance to the bed. Sighing, she lay down and curled up into a ball.

"Would you accept a sedative to help you rest more peacefully?" Nurse Jenner inquired, softly.

The female shook her head. The sedative she'd already been given was making her head thick and she had no intention of being that defenseless again.

"But you are exhausted. You need sleep and, unfortunately, those nightmares are going to prevent it for some time yet. You sure you won't reconsider?" the nurse urged but the patient still shook her head. Sighing, Jenner gave in. "Alright, how about some water and perhaps a little food? It's been awhile since you had either."

"Water would be fine, not hungry right now, thank you," the patient mumbled. Nurse Jenner nodded, got up and went to get a bottle of water from the orderly who'd returned with one for her.

Jenner returned to the bed, twisted the top off and offered the bottle to the female. The weary Sabaren accepted it and began to drink it slowly.

"We'll let you get some rest now but we're right nearby if you need us," Dr. Shannon called from the door. The patient flinched and nearly choked on her water at the sound of his voice and wouldn't look at him but did nod.

Nurse Jenner left her side and joined the others leaving the room. Left alone with just her thoughts, she finally was able to relax...sort of. Curse her mate! All her efforts to live a normal life had been destroyed by him over the course of just a few days. Despite his death at her paws, she couldn't shake her learned response to the approach of a male.

How could she be Chief Enforcer if she couldn't abide males near her. For crying out loud, nearly all her Enforcers were male. She hoped the doctors here could help her get over this. Taking another swallow of water, she realized just being afraid of males wasn't all her problems. Her energy levels would rise to an intolerable level soon and she would need a male to dump it. And here she was unable to allow them near! It would be hilarious if it weren't so tragic!

Oh Goddess could things possibly get any worse?


	4. Chapter 4

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 4 - Recovery**

Somehow she managed to make it through the night without another visit from her mate's dead image but she hadn't managed to get much in the way of rest so it was a very weary Chief Enforcer that greeted her new doctor the next morning. She was very relieved it was female, now, perhaps, she'd get the help she knew she needed.

Dr. Genzer had been assigned this unique patient just that morning when it was learned Feral was afraid of males. She eyed her obviously exhausted patient with some concern. She'd been briefed on what little they knew of Feral's history. That small amount was enough to tell her this female had been abused by a sadistic mate for a very long time. Even though she apparently escaped him more than a decade or more ago, the damage the male had inflicted had not been erased with time. And because she'd been hiding who and what she was, she couldn't seek therapy.

Sighing, she realized they were in for a long, uphill battle to help Feral overcome a near lifetime of fear.

"Hello, Ulysses. My name is Dr. Genzer and I'm your therapist. I'm going to try and help you regain your emotional freedom from the bonds of abuse you've suffered. It won't be easy for either of us, but I'm willing to help you if you're willing to work hard to get well."

"I don't want to be chained to my past and I need to return to work before that incompetent second in command of mine makes a snarling mess of everything or cause my Enforcers to mutiny. So I'll do whatever you ask to achieve that goal and for your information, my real first name is Ulera," Feral grumbled, sleep deprivation making her less than civil.

"Oh, I see...you altered your name for the sake of your cover as a male. It's sad you had to, your real name is quite beautiful. Now let's get started, shall we. I have to ask you many very personal questions so I can know more about what happened to you before we can help you moved past your trauma. So, how long ago did you run away from home and how old were you?"

"I was only a few days shy of my eighteenth birthday when I escaped. That's over twenty years ago now." Feral sighed, smothering a yawn.

"That's a long time ago. You were very young to have done that and succeeded so well he didn't find you until now. It's a wonder he found you at all."

"Would have liked to know too but at least I know my clan doesn't know where I am since he was banished when I vanished, or so he said. No way to know if he was telling the truth about that." Feral sighed and turned her head away to stare at the floor. The shame of killing someone the way she had still haunted and shamed her. That wasn't how she'd been trained. A light touch on her knee made her jerk her head back up and hiss, glaring at the doctor reflexively.

Dr. Genzer removed her paw slowly. "Apologizes, I only wanted to get you to look at me not upset you further. Why did you look away as if ashamed?"

"I killed him rather than arrest him as the law required. I'm not above the law and shouldn't have done that," Feral said bitterly.

Genzer shook her head. "I commend you on your strict morals and adherence to the law but even in the line of duty you've been forced to maim or kill to save others. In this case you killed a known deadly force that we Kats have no defense against. Yes, you were angry and in pain, both emotionally and bodily, but that was only partly why you took him out, the other reason was to protect the SWAT Kats and yourself because you knew he could and would kill them as well as you, correct?"

"I..." Feral blinked and thought about it for a long moment. It was possible those two might have stopped her mate from reaching them but not from killing them as he was just too fast and still held enough energy to incinerate them before they could act.

"Am I wrong? Would they have been able to defeat your mate?" Dr. Genzer pressed.

"I...they might have if they had time but we move much faster than you do and he would have had them helpless before they could do anything then killed them with the residual energy he still held in his body," she admitted, slowly.

"Then, it seems to me, you really had no choice as the SWAT Kats would not have known that fact. And when he finished with them, he would have gone back and either punished or killed you. Is that a viable assumption?"

Feral sighed and nodded her head.

"Then you clearly have nothing to be ashamed about when you took his life. You were only doing your duty. The fact it finally freed you from his cruelty was a bonus. From what I gathered, he held nothing but contempt for you. And, am I correct in assuming his behavior toward you has been an ongoing thing as you did say 'escape' rather than 'left' your home?"

"I...yes he beat me from the moment I failed to produce a cub our first year mated and everyday since then. He'd nearly killed me that last day before I left, breaking my arm and some ribs," Feral whispered, looking away again, not really happy to be reliving those memories again.

Genzer felt anger flare inside her as it did whenever she heard these horrific tales of abuse. This was why she did this job, trying to fix the damage those brutes had committed. Her face reflected none of her inner anger, however; remaining calm and understanding for the patient's benefit. She made a note about her patient's sensitivity toward touch and the reasons which were probably even more horrific than Feral had said so far.

"I want you to listen to me a moment. Look at me," she ordered gently.

Feral raised her head and stared into the doctor's deep blue, earnest eyes.

"You did something incredible. Escaping a bad situation, traveling to a far away city and starting a new life all alone and still in your teens. You planned well and thought carefully about how you would avoid your mate finding you then carried it out. I find it extraordinary that at such a young age you managed to fool your peers at the academy with that excellent male persona and fought your way up the ranks as fast as you did to become the Chief Enforcer of this city. That took guts and a whole lot of skill to pull off. Never hang your head in shame. Be proud of your accomplishments. That's something he can never take from you. Understand?"

Feral blinked in wide-eyed surprise. She never once thought her accomplishments were all that special but her doctor was telling her it was nothing short of amazing. She'd fought hard to stop thinking of herself as a worthless nobody, spending all her efforts on building her body up and training to be the best fighter and officer she could be.

And she had succeeded.

She'd spent the last twenty years proving herself. And she had earned the respect of her officers for her courage in fighting enemies that were more powerful and dangerous than any the city had seen before. No way would she let her worthless mate take that away from her. Straightening her shoulders and sitting up tall and proud, she said, "You're right. I did make something of myself. Someone who is important and respected. He can't take that away from me."

"That's the spirit! You remember that. When the nightmares try to bring you down, you remind yourself who is more important...him or the new you. You have a purpose in life and he can't take that away from you." Genzer realized Feral would have to be reminded of these facts regularly before she would truly believe it within her soul. But as first sessions go, this had been a successful one with this breakthrough, but they had a long way to go yet. There was a lot of self hatred inside Feral that needed to be let go and bad memories that needed to be put to rest. It would be hell for Feral dragging all the past up again but it was the only way to heal her.

"Alright, I think that's enough digging for now. It's been a good session. However, this one was easy compared to what the rest are going to be like. That's because we're going to be digging deep into your mind to dredge up all those nasty memories you've been suppressing, bringing them into the light, dealing with them, and putting them away permanently," she warned, gently.

Feral grimaced at the thought of someone probing around in her mind.

Genzer smiled, mildly amused. "Yes, that is the least favorite thing for my patients but the more bad memories you bring to light the faster you can let them go and the less they will pull you down. However, to do this you really need some undisturbed sleep. It will be draining for you and no sleep means a longer recovery time. So, can I get you to accept a sedative at night?"

Feral scowled. "Sedatives leave me vulnerable and very weak and disoriented. The side affects are just not worth it. Remember, I'm not a Kat so your medicines react differently on me."

"I did know and that is why you need a complete physical done so we have a true base line for you. I have no idea how you managed to hide that from your Enforcer doctors but you aren't going to do that with us. Please answer all questions completely and truthfully so we can insure we don't give you something we shouldn't. As for a sedative, how about a natural herb one made from Melatonin? Is that safe enough for you?" Genzer asked, while making a note that a full physical needed to be done asap into her patient's records.

"Why yes, that is one of the drugs we use. We tend to grow and use herbal medicines instead of modern ones we could get from the city near our home."

"Good. Then I'll prescribe a light dose for you and see how that works for you. By your intake record, you haven't eaten and we have no idea when you had last..." Genzer eyed her patient questioningly.

"He barely fed me but since he kept my energy and his bottle within me, I usually wasn't hungry. I don't actually remember my last real meal," Feral admitted.

Genzer had to swallow a sudden flash of anger at the now dead tom before she could speak in a calm voice. "That's definitely not good and your emotional distress will depress your appetite too, so we need to get you on a regular diet. Since it has been awhile since you've eaten, perhaps some broth, crackers, and juice will be a good start..." she began to say but Feral shook her head.

"With our high metabolisms and energy use, we require meals with high protein levels to sustain us and aid in recovery from illness and injury. Our diet normally consists of raw milk, wheat flour, leafy green and root vegetables, berries of all types, raw honey, duck and grouse eggs (not chicken), venison, wild boar, rabbit, grouse, turkey, lamb, and fish. Hot peppers of all types are favorites and speed up healing. We do try other things but it provides only pleasure, like dark chocolate, but are not what our body's need. The males liked alcohol but it made them mean. All our food is either grown by us or harvested from the wild and we hunt our own game. Highly preserved foods and salt cause us serious digestive upset. That's sort of the quick list."

Genzer's eyebrows rose to her hairline at the interesting diet. If Kat kind ate that they would be a lot healthier, she thought. The only thing really different between Kats and Sabarans, is they ate more wild meat. "Okay, thank you for that, so what would you like for breakfast this morning?"

"Uhm...I could really use a high protein meal right now. A large glass of milk, a five ounce venison steak, a large helping of scrambled eggs with peppers, and one slice of wheat bread with honey spread on it."

"Wow! How the heck did you manage to eat like that on an academy budget? I know you can afford it now but back then...?" Genzer asked, flabbergasted.

Feral blushed a little. "I'd go up in the hills and hunt of course. Both for deer, raw honey, bird's eggs, and wild veggies. Winter was more difficult and I had to resort to what I could find at specialty stores, but, in general, I managed to keep my body sustained with the proper nutrients."

"Well, that's good. And thank you for the list. I'll order you a meal and leave your dietary needs with the dietician. I'll leave you to take a nap now and perhaps, if you're up to it later, you might like a trip to the common room or library, how's that sound?"

"I don't think I'm ready to mingle with the other patients yet, doctor. But I wouldn't mind going to the library for something to read."

"Good. I'll leave orders that you're to be escorted to the library when you request it. Have a good day, Ulera and I'll see you again this evening."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Her first full length session was the next day. As promised, Dr. Genzer probed her past more deeply, that had been disturbing and hard.

When the session ended Ulera had been reduced to a sobbing, completely wrung out and exhausted mess but Dr. Genzer felt they were making excellent progress.

"Glad you think so," Feral grumbled as she tried to recover her emotional balance, wiping tears off her face with the handkerchief Dr. Genzer had given her.

"No, it's true. I know you can't see it yet, but dragging out all this misery allows it to be examined then dumped so it can't lie there and continue festering which is what it was doing all these years as you avoided thinking about it."

"Sounds counterproductive to me but you're the doctor," Feral snorted.

Genzer smiled. "Don't worry, you'll see feel the difference yourself very soon. You're already making progress toward shorter nightmares. It's your impatient nature that wants it to happen faster."

"That may be true but my impatience is tied to something far more concrete and growing more urgent as the days pass. I hate to burst your bubble of enthusiasm, doc, but I will need to dump my energy before too long."

"Yes, I was aware of that. How long do we have?"

"Best guess since my mate never allowed me normal releasals is about two weeks."

"Then we'll keeping working hard till then, alright?"

"If you say so."

Two weeks later, however, Feral still wasn't able to abide males and her body was making insistent demands she dump energy. That following Monday, after withstanding her built up energy as best she could all weekend, she told Dr. Genzer at her morning therapy session that time was definitely up.

"I know you've done your best to help me past my male phobia but we have run out of time. I must dump my power within the next twenty-four hours or I won't be needing therapy ever again," Feral said grimly. "Have you a solution?"

Genzer sucked in a breath. "Forgive me, I didn't realize we were getting into the danger zone already. If you'll excuse me for a little while, I'll see if I can find an answer. I do have a lead so don't give up hope. Try and rest until I return."

"Sure, hope you have an answer that will work," Feral said with not much confidence.

Worried, Dr. Genzer hurried from her patient's room for her office. There she poured through the report that had come with the Commander when she'd arrived. She seemed to recall seeing something that might help right now.

She found it in the police report of the incident. Smiling in relief, she reached for her phone. She had someone important to speak to.

"Good morning, Deputy Mayor Brigg's Office, how may I help you?" A bright and cheery voice asked.

"Hello, this is Doctor Genzer at the Kanler Abuse Treatment Center. Would it be possible for me to speak with Ms Briggs? The matter is urgent and private."

"Of course, doctor. Please hold while I see if the Deputy Mayor is free," the receptionist answered then put the doctor on hold and used the intercom to reach her boss.

"Ms. Briggs?" she called.

"Yes, Dorrie?" the Deputy Mayor's distracted voice responded.

"There is a Dr Genzer from the Kanler Abuse Treatment Center on line two. She says it's urgent she speak with you."

"Oh, thank you. I'll take it. Please hold my calls."

"Yes ma'am."

Sighing, Calico Briggs set the file she was reading down and picked up the phone. "Dr Genzer, what can I do for you?"

"I need to speak with you on an urgent matter concerning my patient, Commander Feral. However, I'm uncertain whether this should be discussed on the phone," the doctor cautiously stated.

"Hmmm...no definitely not; so I take it this conversation needs to be immediately?" Callie asked, looking at her schedule.

"Yes, Ms. Briggs, time is short. Many lives could be in danger if this matter isn't resolved within the next twenty-four hours," Dr. Genzer confirmed the veiled question in the deputy mayor's voice.

"Understood. I'll leave now and can be there in about fifteen minutes. Where's your office?" Briggs asked, making a note of the room the doctor gave her. "See you soon."

"Thank you. See you shortly, ma'am," the doctor said, relieved, hanging up the phone. Fifteen minutes to the second, Ms. Briggs was sitting in front of Dr Genzer's desk.

"So what is the problem and what can I do to help you?" Callie asked getting right to the point.

"From your response on the phone, Ms Briggs, you are aware of the danger Commander Feral poses when her energy level reaches a certain intensity. Well that time is now and despite some intensive therapy over the past couple of weeks, we've still not been able to circumvent her fear of males. So the only hope she has left is the one male who did succeed in winning her trust.

"You're referring to the part of the Enforcer's report on the incident that said T-Bone had comforted her when she freaked out with the medics? You're hoping that means he did something that made her trust him?"

"Exactly."

"And you contacted me...why?"

Dr. Genzer gave her a small smile. "I've seen how whenever you are in danger the SWAT Kats always show up. I suspect they gave you a way to contact them as you are always a target of the criminals in our city. Am I right?"

Callie liked the doctor's sharp and observant mind. Smiling warmly, she said quietly, "a very good guess and a correct one. Yes, I can contact them. If he's willing, you should see T-Bone within the hour."

"That would be great but what are the odds of him being willing to do something so intimate for someone he has no positive feelings for?"

"Despite his feelings about the Commander in general, he wont leave a person in distress if he's the only one who can help. That's just the kind of guy he is. But you're right, this is a very intimate thing were asking him to do with someone he isn't fond of. All I can do is ask. If I'm successful you'll know quickly...if he isn't agreeable...I'm at a loss at what to do next."

"You do know if that happens she's dead?" Genzer asked, bluntly, her voice grim.

Her face equally grim, Callie nodded. "I know and I'm certain T-Bone is aware of that as well but I'll ensure that is true when I speak with him. I just hope the Commander doesn't reject him."

"Nothing we can do but evac her if she does. You'll have to have her airlifted somewhere she can't harm anyone when she loses control," Dr. Genzer said, sadly.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Callie said, refusing to think about the fatal consequences. It was simply too horrible to contemplate.

"Then I wish you good luck, Ms. Briggs and will be waiting to see a certain powerful looking tom entering my office soon," Genzer said hopefully, rising and giving Callie a firm hand shake before seeing her guest to the door.

"It's Commander Feral who needs the luck," Callie observed quietly then hurried out. When she reached her car, she quickly pulled out her comm unit and pressed its button.


	5. Chapter 5

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 5 - A Little Help from a SWAT Kat**

_**A secret hangar, late afternoon...day of Feral's rescue...**_

Flying home, the SWAT Kats were unusually subdued. After arriving in their hidden hangar, the pair jumped down to the floor.

"Before we get back to work in the garage, I think we should do some quick repairs and reload the Turbokat, okay?" Razor asked his partner.

"Yeah, sure," T-Bone said, his mind elsewhere.

They didn't talk much, each wrapped in their own troubled thoughts as they worked side by side. They finished with enough time to work a couple of hours in the garage, finishing up the cars waiting before closing up for the night. Securing the yard and garage, they retired to their apartment for dinner. Jake ordered pizza while Chance grabbed some cold cans of milk from the fridge, tossing one to his friend when he got off the phone. They went to the living room and dropped onto the couch.

"Chance, this thing that happened with Feral has you by the tail doesn't it?" Jake asked quietly.

"Yeah, some...it still blows my mind that he's a she. Just think about it! She's lied to everyone about who and what she is for years. But I feel more sorry than angry with her. What that sick bastard must have done to her before she managed to get away had to have been some serious shit for her to decide to hide her gender like that," Chance looked at his partner with troubled eyes.

"I know, which makes me feel really guilty for the way we've treated her all these years, though there wasn't any we could have known," Jake sighed heavily. "You know with her out of commission, the city is in real trouble now with Steele in charge. We'll have to step up our patrols to counteract anything that fool does much less what advantage the omegas will take of his incompetence."

"Crud, I didn't think about that. Feral may have been a pain in the ass at times, but she is a good Enforcer Commander," Chance said, shaking his head.

"How do you feel about having to be intimate with her, Chance?" Jake asked carefully. Concerned for his partner's mental well being.

"I don't know how I feel about it. I'm glad I could help her but it was weird nonetheless for both of us. I will admit I've never had an orgasm that strong before. It was unbelievable. I wonder if her energy release had anything to do with that?"

"I'm certain it did since you acted as a conduit for her release of energy. It had to pass through you to dilute it so it wouldn't cause any problems so I'm not surprised it gave you a pleasant feeling versus a nasty one which would have discouraged any male from wanting to be with her," Jake observed.

"Well that's certainly true. Anyway, the creepier part of it was having sex with Feral of all people. That's what has me feeling warped right now."

"I don't know what to say to you Chance. You can't let it get to you though or it could affect your ability to concentrate and that could cost us our lives," Jake warned.

"You don't have to tell me that but it will be hard to set the weirdest experience of my life aside that easily."

The gate bell rang signaling their dinner had arrived and ending the difficult conversation. They spoke no more about it after that.

_**Present day...two weeks after Feral was sent to the treatment center...**_

The alarm rang out. Working nearby on a truck, Chance snaked a dirty paw out to snatch the phone from the wall.

"Yes Ms Briggs?" he asked briskly

"T-Bone your assistance is needed at the Kanler Abuse Treatment Center," she said bluntly.

"Huh? Where's that and why would I be needed?" he asked, confused.

"That's where I sent Feral for treatment. Her energy has reached critical levels and despite the last two weeks of intensive therapy, she still can't abide being in the presence of males. Do you know what that means?" she asked, worriedly.

A sick feeling came over Chance. "She dies. Right?"

"Apparently. Admittedly, we don't know much about her species, but according to Feral the energy has to go somewhere, whether it kills one or not, we don't know and she hasn't said. Anyway, the outcome isn't good for her or the patients at the center."

"I can see where you're going with this. Because I could get close to her, you're hoping she'll allow me close to her to dump her energy."

"That's it in a nutshell, T-Bone. I know I'm asking a lot and I know you don't owe Feral anything..."

"No, it's alright. We may not like each other much, but no way would I let that happen to her. She's suffered far too much in her life already. Razor and I feel badly about how we've treated her all these years even though there was no way we could have known about her background. Just tell me where she is and who I need to see when I get there," he said, resigned.

Callie was surprised and relieved. When this was over she would make a point to speak with them. They shouldn't beat themselves up over what none of them had been aware of. They were all guilty of treating Feral badly, even herself.

Sighing, she relayed the information he needed. "Thank you for doing this, T-Bone. You're a great person."

Chance could feel his face blush. "Uhm...thank you Ms. Briggs. I'll leave now."

"I hope she accepts you, you're her only hope," she said, softly.

"I know." He cut the connection. He could already see this becoming a regular requirement if her problem with male persisted. Don't get ahead of yourself sport. You don't know if she'll allow you near like the first time, he chided himself mentally.

"What's up Chance?" Jake asked as he stood nearby ready to leave if it was a call for help.

"It's Feral, she still can't get over her fear of males and her energy levels are at critical levels. They are hoping she will accept me and power dump," Chance repeated Callie's message.

"Are you okay with this, buddy?" Jake asked, staring at his partner worriedly

"I have to be don't I! If I don't try she'll die! She doesn't deserve that just because her mate was a cruel bastard," Chance growled loudly in frustration.

"I know Chance, I'm just sorry it puts you in such a difficult position and I'm worried about how this will make you feel afterwards," Jake murmured, soothingly.

Chance's shoulder's slumped, he reached up to rub his neck to ease the tension there. "I know Jake, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bite your head off. This is just so messed up." He hung his head a moment and sighed, then threw back his shoulders and headed for the hidden door to the hangar. "No point talking anymore about it. I've got to go, I'll see you later," Chance called over his shoulder as he disappeared down the hatch.

"Good luck, buddy," Jake said after his departing form, hoping all worked out for everyone's sake.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Many eyes followed the colorful figure as it strode purposefully toward the elevators at the center. T-Bone ignored the looks and whispers, too wrapped in his anxious thoughts to pay any heed as he stepped into a car and pressed a button for the floor where Feral was being kept.

'God, I hope she lets me close, I can't bear to think of her blowing up or whatever it is that will happen if she doesn't do this. It feels so weird being this worried about her but I am. I feel I have to make up for how I've been treating her all these years. And yet, I'm still freaked out that its Feral I'm planning on doing this with. But, she's not who I thought she was. What we knew of her is all a lie. Who is she really? That's what I'd like to know and perhaps doing this I'll get the chance.' His thoughts were interrupted by the elevator's arriving at the right floor. He walked down to the nursing station and halted at the high counter, waiting for a nurse to notice him. One did and gaped at him in surprise.

"I'm looking for Dr Genser, she's expecting me," he said bluntly.

"Oh, certainly. Just a moment," the flustered nurse picked up a phone and called a number. Moments later she was speaking with someone then hanging up the phone again. "She'll be right here to meet you, T-Bone."

"Thanks." He turned away from the desk and watched both ways down the corridor. Several excited whispers chattered behind him but he ignored them. A few minutes later, a slim Persian female exited the same elevator he'd arrived on then strode up to him.

"T-Bone, I'm Dr. Genser. Thank you for coming. Commander Feral is between sessions and resting so your timing is perfect," the doctor said, a relieved smile on her face.

"I'm not sure she'll accept me a second time, doc, but I'm willing to try to save her life," he said quietly.

"That's all we can hope for. Please follow me" with that the doctor led off down the hall at a brisk pace stopping at a locked door some distance from the nurses station and away from other patients as well, he noted.

"T-Bone, if things work out, I will leave you alone with her but the door will be unlocked. Please take all the time you need to help ease her. By the way, her real first name is Ulera. It might help for her to hear it. When you are through ask the nurses for directions to my office. I need to talk with you before you leave, its important."

"Uh, okay doc, no problem."

The doctor flashed him an encouraging smile then looked in the viewing window set in the door for a moment before unlocking it and opening it. Stepping through, T-Bone followed close on her heels, the door shutting softly behind them.

On the bed against the wall Feral sat huddled in a corner against the wall. Her face was turned away from the door, the sound of soft crying reached their ears. Her right paw gripped her blanket near her chest.

Dr. Genzer stayed near the door, signaling T-Bone with a hand gesture to go ahead and approach Feral. Nervously, he walked slowly and silently up to the weeping Sabaren female.

When he was right beside her, the crying ceased and a face full of fangs and glowing eyes accompanied by a loud hiss, whipped toward him. He froze and waited.

The day's session had been far more heart-wrenching than the ones before it causing an outpouring of grief. Suddenly the scent of a male invaded her nose and she was immediately on the defensive. The male was standing within a hands distance much to her shock but once her brain actually focused on what her eyes were seeing, all her defenses relaxed.

She sniffed the air and it confirmed what her eyes beheld. It was T-Bone but more than that, it was the male who had given her the most pleasurable moment she'd ever had in her life. She blinked and frowned. Why was he here?

"Hi Ulera," he asked, carefully. "Can I sit next to you?"

She eyed him a long moment then nodded slowly.

T-Bone sighed mentally. Her first reaction had his heart in his throat but once she had seen who it was, she had relaxed which made him feel relieved and warmed inside. She still trusted him. A good start to a difficult situation.

"You know why I'm here?" he asked, quietly, sitting on the bed a distance from her so she wouldn't feel crowded.

She tilted her head then rested it on her raised knees and studied him. He eyed her back, looking her over. She looked more rested though her beautiful tri-colored eyes were sad and a bit lost. He wondered what had brought on the bout of tears. Perhaps she would get comfortable enough with him to tell him.

What surprised him more was how little he looked liked the male Feral he had known for several years. Frowning, he stared harder, something about that face looked wrong. Wha...crud! Feral no longer had that heavy, square chin and brow and his mustache was missing. The face that stared at him was now heart shaped and more feminine. She wasn't pretty but more handsome. How the heck did that happen?

"Why are you frowning at me?" she asked, warily.

He blushed for being caught letting his mind wander. "I..uh..well...I know this is going to sound ridiculous but your face seems to have changed somewhat. I mean...it doesn't look as male as it did...your big chin is gone...it's been replaced by a rounder, softer look. How the heck is that possible?" He shook his head and rubbed his neck, embarrassed.

She smiled. "It's all how you present yourself. My persona was of a rough, tough, male who took no shit from anyone and demanded respect. That's what you saw. Right now, I'm just me."

"Aw come on, no way if it that simply," T-Bone snorted, not buying the explanation.

An amused smile tugged at her lips. "I'm pulling your chain, SWAT Kat. In truth, the energy that I pull from the world also allows me to alter my features in minute ways. Oh nothing as drastic as a complete alteration of my face or body," she hurried to say when he looked stunned and a little concerned, "...but I can make small tweaks that can pull a chin to look broader, cheeks to look fuller, and a beard to grow, that sort of thing."

"Oh...wow...what a cool talent and useful for hiding yourself too," he said, admiringly.

She blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. Acutally, I had no idea it was something we could do as no one I knew had reason to do such a thing but I so desperately needed to alter my features and was taken aback when my did what I wanted," she admitted.

"Seriously? Okay, that's even more amazing that you succeeded in making yourself such a believable male when you had no idea how to do it. It's a shame you had to do that, you're a handsome female," T-Bone said sincerely, giving her a devilish grin.

Kat's Alive! I've never blushed so much in my life, she thought, totally flustered. No one had ever complimented her on her looks. That made her feel strange. Here she was having a perfectly comfortable conversation with a male. She never dreamed such a thing would be possible so soon but then this was the male who had treated her with only respect and great gentleness. That apparently had made a deep impression on her to allow him so near now weeks later.

Sometime during their chat, Dr. Genzer had slipped out. Ulera appreciated that as it would have become rather embarrassing to have a watcher when they got to what he was here for. And there's the problem right there. Could she let him join with her again?

"So, I hear you have a problem that perhaps I can help solve?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts. He didn't feel this should be dragged out as it would only make it harder on her and her comfort and well being was his main concern right now.

And there he was asking her the very thing she was trying to decide. How perfect was that? She thought, a bit giddy. "You would help me again? Truly?"

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. The only barrier is you allowing me to do it," he said honestly.

"Yes, there's that," she murmured, looking away unhappily.

T-Bone stared at her a long moment. She was happy to see him, he was pleased to see but being intimate again...it seemed she wanted to but wasn't so sure her mental state would allow it. A sudden thought occurred to him. Well, maybe that will work, he thought, pleased with the solution his mind came up with.

"Listen, I know this is very awkward for both of us and even though we've done it once, that was an emergency and you weren't really yourself then. For me, I normally like to take my time getting to know a fem before being intimate with her but just as before, we don't really have the luxury of time. So I have an idea how I can make this much easier and more pleasant for you." He rose slowly from the bed and stepped back then began to strip his clothes off.

She blinked at him in shocked surprise. "Wha...what are you doing?" she demanded, nervously.

"Shhh...easy, it's alright. I'm not going to do anything to you that you don't want me to. I'm guessing you've never been given much control over sexual situations because of your energy release needs which leaves you at the mercy of a male. And, I strongly suspect, because of how your mate treated you, it never occurred to you to take the dominate position in your various encounters making you feel like a victim again." He said gently. He finished taking his flight suit off, but he still had on his t-shirt and boxers.

So here's what I'm proposing. I'll lay on the bed nude, never attempt to touch you until you say so, let you explore my body to your heart's content, and decide when and if you want to have sex. Whether your own clothes come off or not, is totally up to you. You are in total control here." Here he paused and waited to see if she liked the idea before he removed the last of his clothing.

She stared at him in stunned amazement, was he serious? "I'm not sure about this..." she said hesitantly.

"Again, it's your decision, I won't do anything without your say so," he repeated, encouragingly. Then he simply waited saying nothing more. Too many had told her what to do in this arena, he was determined to give the power of choice back to her.

She continued to stare at him then came to a decision. She slowly climbed off the bed and stood at its foot eyeing him.

Taking that move to mean she was willing to try this, T-Bone moved to stand closer to the bed then turned to face her. Smiling quietly, he did a slow striptease.

Feral sucked in her breath. Her eyes were glued to his slowly moving paws as he removed his t-shirt revealing the rippling muscles of his broad chest and powerful arms then he leaned to the side to remove his boxers giving her a fine view of his powerful legs. He tossed his pants to the side and she was left staring at his, at present, soft genitals and felt her face burn with heat.

Still smiling gently at her, he laid down on the bed on his back, arms at his side. She stared at this really magnificent male for several minutes before slowly coming around the bed again to stand by his side.

Hesitantly, she sat down against his ribcage, feeling his warmth through her hip. Slowly, carefully, she began stroking her fingers down his chest, exploring his hard muscles, passing her paw down his flat stomach and stopping before reaching his sex that was beginning to show an interest in what she was doing.

She stared at it fascinated but continued her perusal of his body. His fur felt wonderful beneath her fingers and she began to enjoy caressing it over and over. After several minutes of that, she decided to get closer to him, lowering her face to his chest and inhaled his musky male scent, it stirred her senses making her body tingle.

Beginning to feel a need build within her the longer she played with him, she realized she was no longer afraid of him and truly wanted more. Plus, her own body was getting warmer in places she'd thought would never react the way nature intended it to. It felt wonderful and made her desire more of that feeling. Being allowed to do whatever she wanted to him was a heady feeling and so very freeing.

Feeling bolder and more confident in his presence, she rose slowly to her feet and did a little striptease of her own. He eyed her hungrily though she couldn't see his eyes behind the mask but his cock was definitely showing interest. She wore no under clothes so two pieces and she was nude. She was pleased by the reaction she was getting from him and, with no fear, she return to sit then lay her body completely over his, feeling those hard muscles against her own well built body.

T-Bone ached to move, all her touches, stripping of her clothes off, and now her hot body laying on his was making it nearly impossible for him to remain still but he was afraid to speak, fearing he might spook her and ruin her hard won bravery so he stayed still and silent though it was beginning to kill him to do so.

Feral had been avoiding looking into his face, but now that she was laying on him and he had not done anything about it she felt safe to study his features even though part of it was covered by a mask. He did have a strong face and she wished she could see his eyes, wondering what color they might be.

Some parts of her body were beginning to get a little impatient at her long perusal of him especially when she could feel the heat from that hot pole between her legs. She began to writhe and rub herself against his body sparking heat and pleasure. Moaning at the exquisite sensation, she was moved to rub her face against his and was startled when he licked her cheek gently. She pulled her face up enough to stare at him. He smiled lazily at her.

Fascinated by his generous mouth she tentatively kissed him. It was nice and she tried it again this time letting him lead the way. Taking his time, he made love to her mouth, laying tiny kisses and licks to her lips. She shuddered and groaned, returning his kisses with more urgent ones of her own.

She'd never experienced anything so intensely wonderful before and wanted more of it. They were quickly kissing with an intense passion she'd never knew existed. Their bodies writhed and slowly wrapped around each other.

He was still cautious and didn't loose his head, not wanting her to interpret any of his moves as imprisoning her but so far she wasn't objecting or reacting negatively to his growing possession of her. He allowed himself to relax into it a bit more.

She was flying! Everything they did felt incredibly good. Even when his legs and arms started to enfold her, she felt no fear only wonderful comfort and safety. Between her legs she could feel how hard he'd become and rather than frighten her, it excited her to know she was the one who had made him want her, need her...it was a fantastic feeling and she could hardly wait to feel him within her.

"I want you!" she whispered urgently into his ear.

"Ulera, are you sure?" he panted, he wanted her to but needed to make sure she was ready to accept him.

"Oh yes, I'm certain! You make me feel things I've never thought possible. Please show me how wonderful it can be like you did that first time," she purred excitedly.

"As you wish, sugar. You'll only know pleasure never pain from me," T-Bone quietly promised her. Gently, he lifted her hips enough to shift his body into the correct position then lowered her slowly onto himself.

A groan escaped from them both as he slid deep inside her. He waited until she was used to him then said, "Okay, you still control the action here. You let me know when you're ready to move," he whispered, his body trembling as he held himself in check.

Feeling him tremble with need made her feel in control for the first time in her life. Knowing she was that important to him that he would hold back his own pleasure for her made her feel special and wanted. What a remarkable male and he was all hers right now.

So get moving, idiot, she scolded herself. Smiling, she began to move and hissed with joy at how fantastic it felt. He was soo hot and moved so easily within her setting off sparks of intense pleasure.

Her sudden movement caused T-Bone to moan and move his own hips restlessly but still didn't take control away from her.

His response excited her even more, encouraging her to pick up the pace. They were soon soaring higher and higher, her body beginning to glow brightly. As the pressure increased to intense levels, her energy flowed through T-Bone's body making him even harder as they raced to completion. The controlled power burst over them like a waterfall, pulsing over and over for several minutes and finally letting go. They collapsed in a sweaty heap, hearts racing.

T-Bone was the first to recover, gently caressing her back. She responded lazily by licking his face. He chuckled at her sated response. Sighing, he was relieved his idea had worked far better than he'd hoped. "Someone seems to be pleased with herself."

"Oh yes, thank you. You were wonderful and so gentle. You've given me something I've never experienced in my life and done it twice. I never knew sex could be fun and feel so good," she purred, totally relaxed.

"I'm so sorry your first time wasn't this way. You never deserved being treated the way you were but that's in the past. If you will have me for your future energy release need, you'll only know comfort and pleasure from me all the time and I'm pleased I was able to overcome your fear to give you that relief today," he said warmly.

"I know you are busy but I'm pleased you are willing to do this with me despite our past history. Yes, I will accept you and thank you with all my heart," she said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

"You are most welcome. I'll leave you a signaler so you can summon me when you need me."

"Thank you," she sighed.

They were silent for a long while.

"I wish you could stay for a little while longer. I am so tired and I feel you just might keep the nightmares at bay long enough for me to get a decent nap," she said wistfully.

"Well, I think I can stay for a little while. My partner can hold the fort. Settle down and rest, kitten and sleep," he murmured, purring to soothe her further.

"Thank you," she sighed.

He rolled them until they were side by side and grabbed the blanket from the floor where it had fallen and covered them with it. She snuggled against his chest and closed her eyes. He continued to caress her shoulders soothingly as he felt her ease into slumber.


	6. Chapter 6

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 6 - Released**

T-Bone woke from the short nap he'd taken with Ulera. Rising slowly, he looked over her shoulder and saw she was still asleep, her face peaceful. He smiled to himself. I put that look on her face, he thought proudly. Hopefully, she'll continue to sleep for a few more hours without a nightmare. Anyway, time for me to vamoose, he sighed. Glad I'm was on the outside of the bed, he thought as he carefully slipped out from under the blanket. Normally, there was no way he could do this as her instincts were far sharper and reactions far quicker than his, which was saying a lot, but it was the measure of just how exhausted she was that she never stirred.

He fixed the blanket over her, gave one last tender look before turning to get dressed which he did as silently as he could. Suitably attired once more, he slipped out the unlocked door, closing it quietly behind him. He walked up to the nurse's station and the one he'd spoken to before looked up and smiled at him.

"Hello, T-Bone. How's she doing?"

He smiled. "Sleeping like a kitten. Hopefully she'll continue to for awhile longer," he responded. "I'm supposed to see Dr. Genzer in her office?"

"Oh yes, go back on the elevator, she's on Level Two, Office 204."

"Thanks, have a good day," he said politely.

"You too," she said, feeling butterflies in her stomach at what his smile did to her. What a hunk!

T-Bone turned away and headed for the elevator, a car was just arriving with two doctors aboard who blinked at him in surprise as they got off and he got on. He pressed the button for the floor he was given and when the elevator stopped, it opened onto a carpeted and tastefully decorated hallway. Dr. Genzer's office was four doors down on the left.

He knocked and received a "come in" from within. Opening the door, he found himself in a medium sized office. A small couch was against one wall, an ocean landscape in a nice frame above it; a tall, green leafy plant of some kind graced the corner near the couch; a window that looked out over the parking lot was behind her desk which was to the left of the door. The cherry wood desk held a computer, a file basket (filled), a stack of files beside that, two reference books, a small plant, and a picture of her family.

The doctor herself had been sitting in a comfortable, high backed, leather office chair when he came in. She stood and smiled at him, shaking his paw when he walked up to her desk. There were two comfortably padded leather chairs before her desk and she indicated one of them for him as she returned to her seat. He dropped into it and gave her a questioningly look.

"Thank you for being willing to see me. I know you're very busy so I'll get to the subject at paw. How was she when you left?" Genzer asked, pulling a file to her, opening it, then adding a couple of forms to the file before looking at him, expectantly.

"Asleep, and resting quietly. With luck she'll continue to do so without nightmares for a few hours more. She certainly needs it."

The doctor sighed and nodded as she wrote the information down. "I'm glad to hear that. My observations say she seems very comfortable around you. Is that how it feels to you? and how did things go?"

T-Bone eyed her a little warily. "Yea, she seemed to be accepting of me as last time. However, in both cases there was some duress. It isn't as if she had a choice either time so how she truly feels about it, I can't say for sure. I'm not sure what else you need to know here, doc. I'm not one of those guys who usually kiss and tell about intimate things."

Giving him an earnest look, she said,"You are in the unique position of interacting with Ulera in a more personal way than any of us here can and because of that, you can get her to open up more, express her feelings and hopefully, tell of her past more fully. Your observations are vital in giving us a more in-depth profile of her; how she behaves in certain situations, what happened in her past that shaped how she thinks; how dangerous is she really and how much control does she have? All these elements must be answered if she is to recover and be safe enough to return to duty. I'll be asking these things of her but she'll withhold a lot which isn't unusual for people being asked to spill their life out to a stranger. With you being so intimate with her, the pillow talk you share would fill in the gaps of what she fails to tell me."

T-Bone frowned. "I can understand knowing about the abuse but everything else...? Isn't that violating her privacy?" He objected.

"Normally, you would be right but in Ulera's case it's very necessary to be 'nosy'. There are two reasons; one is to better aid her in overcoming the abuse she suffered; and two, even more importantly, building a more accurate medical and behavioral record on her as she is the only one of her species living amongst us. We must have a base line to work from to help her with any future difficulties if she continues to live here. Right now all we have is the lies she gave the Enforcers when she enlisted," Genzer said bluntly.

"Ahhh, I see. I don't like it but I can understand why it would be that important, though it will make her mad and I'm still reluctant to reveal really intimate things we say to each other. It feels like betrayal of trust to me."

"I'm glad to hear you have such high morals, T-Bone. It's a relief to know her rights and privacy will be protected by someone who's not connected with her job or her care. However, her problems are sexual as well as emotional. How she handles a sexual relationship is extremely important for me to know if I'm to help her get past the abuse she'd suffered," Genzer pointed out quietly. "I will tell you now, everything you tell me is locked under the seal of doctor/patient privilege and I'm a firm believer in keeping that sacred. Only the information necessary for her care and security clearance to release her back to work will ever be shared, you have my solemn promise on that."

T-Bone eyed her for a long moment then nodded. "Okay, that does make me feel a little better about this. What do you want to know? Though, I'm not certain I really know how she's feeling or thinking about us," he admitted.

"Oh, I think you know more than you realize, T-Bone. To be in your profession it's vital you take in everything about your opponent at first glance then continue to observe while you interact with them. Those skills are exactly what I need right now, so relax, and simply answer my questions as fully as you can and that will be enough," she reassured him

"Okay. I'll do my best. Fire away, doc!"

Over the next hour, T-Bone felt as if he'd had his brain picked clean. The doctor had asked dozens of questions: what Ulera's body language was saying to him, how she reacted to his sexual attention, how he solved the problem of her fear of being touched by a male, etc. But it was her final question that unsettled him the most.

"Thank you, T-Bone. You've been extremely helpful building a picture of the real Ulera Feral. I have just one last thing to ask you. How do you feel about being intimate with someone you've had a contentious relationship with and once thought was male?"

"Uh...that's hard to tell you as a little of our relationship ties in with my secret identity. What I can say is, I'm having some issues. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't affected by who she really is. I had to get past the fact he was a she just to help her at the warehouse. However, this second time, I found it rather easier most likely because I feel sorry for her and I'm fascinated by her. Oh, and did you know her face is different? It's more feminine than male at the moment. Surprisingly, she hasn't bothered to change it back yet.

Dr. Genzer's eyebrows rose in questioning surprise.

"You didn't? With her picture everywhere I would have thought her altered image would have rang bells immediately and made you ask how she'd done it or even if she was Commander Feral in truth. Well I asked. Apparently, they can use the energy they gather in their bodies to tweak little things about their appearance. They can't alter anything major like changing from one sex to another or look like someone else entirely. It's more subtle than that. Her face is much softer, rounder and definitely more feminine. She altered her chin, forehead, cheekbones, mouth, and even beard and mustache. She told me she could also smooth out her breasts enough to look male when she needs to be bare-chested. Compare a photo of her then take a look at her now," he suggested, "...then you'll understand what I mean."

"I'll do that right away. And no, I'm shocked none of us noticed that but then we're not as familiar with the Commander as you are. Thank you for that important piece of information, T-Bone. Getting back to my original question on how do you feel about her, you said you felt sorry for her?"

"Uhm, yea. My partner and I have a lot of guilt feelings about the way we've treated her before this discovery. It goes against everything we stand for to pick on someone who has suffered as much as she has and it doesn't matter that there was no way we could have known, we still feel badly about it," he admitted quietly. "But, I do feel attracted to this very different person and it seems easy for me to forget she was once my enemy."

"The attraction is useful in helping Ulera regain confidence in herself but you must stop feeling pity for her or she will turn on you. No one likes to be pitied and I'm certain you are one of them. For her sake, let go of this destructive feeling and guilt. The point is you didn't know and you can't change the past. You can only go forward and give the respect you feel for her in the present. She worked hard and earned the life she has now. Don't take that away from her by your pity and guilt, it will harm your budding trust with her. Also, don't be too obvious about your change of heart or the public and her Enforcers will think something suspicious is going on. To assuage your conscious, let her know privately how you really feel but explain you'll have to continue to treat her as you did before when you're in public together. That will allow her to continue to play her part while beginning to give you more trust and build her self esteem. Can you do that?"

"When you put it that way, it makes a lot of sense and yea, I can do that. I'll make sure my partner knows the arrangement too. He won't have any problem complying with it either."

"Thank you. I'm pleased you and your partner have such understanding hearts. She will need your compassion and support even more when she returns to work. On the matter of your more personal feelings toward Ulera, I can only offer this piece of advice. Go slow! Examine all your dealings with her to ensure you don't become too emotionally involved until she is healed enough to know her own mind before pursuing anything more serious if that's what happens between you. Your public personas, as perceived by the katizens of this city, will prevent you from showing any kind of attachment and that alone could put a strain on her recovery because of the need for secrecy. So, please for the sake of both of you, be careful! All right?"

"I understand doctor. I don't want to do anything that could set her progress back in any way. I'll try to keep much of my emotions out of the picture, except what's required to keep her trust in me when I'm with her. I already know I'll be the only male she'll trust for a long time until she's finally able to tolerate other males and return to work. I can only hope my attentions will ease that transition for her."

"That is my hope as well, besides our therapy sessions," Genzer said, smiling. "Now, here is my card. Call me anytime if you need to talk and you must report to me after every session with Ulera so I can enter it into her records. Remember, nothing is too small to build the picture of who Ulera truly is."

"I'll remember that doc. Thanks. Oh, and before I forget, here..." T-Bone pulled a small device from his pocket. "Give this to Ulera. It's a communicator she can use to summon me at anytime. That should help her with the nightmares as well." He handed it over.

Dr. Genzer accepted it. "Normally, she wouldn't be allowed things like this in her room or her person but I'll make an exception into her record. Thank you for thinking of that and you're right, it should help her a great deal during this very stressful period. Again, thank you for staying to speak with me. We'll be seeing a lot of each other as long as she's here. Have a safe day, T-Bone." She rose to see him out.

He rose at the same time and shook her paw again. "You're welcome, doctor and good luck getting her back to work. You can tell her, Razor and I are increasing our patrols to cover Steele's incompetence so she needn't worry about the city's safety."

"I'll let her know. I'm certain she'll appreciate your thoughtfulness." Dr. Genzer bid him goodbye.

It was already late afternoon when he returned to their secret hangar. He quickly stripped his G-suit off and put on his coveralls. Returning to the garage, he found Jake just finishing the last vehicle.

"Sorry I was gone so long, buddy." He helped put away tools and close up the yard and garage.

"That's okay, Chance. The work was light." Jake waved off his apology. "So, how did it go?" Chance gave him an abbreviated version of the day's events.

"I'm glad she's doing okay and accepted you so she's safe again but then you always did have a way with the fems," Jake said playfully. "And the doctor's advice about how to handle our guilt helps too. On the subject of you getting too entangled with Feral, Dr. Genzer's right, Chance, be careful of letting your compassion get you in too deep."

"I will, I promise but if it's all the same to you, buddy, let's not talk about it any more, okay?"

"Sure, buddy."

"I'm hungry! What's it going to be pizza or Chinese?" Chance asked, changing the subject and moving toward the stairs leading up to their apartment.

"I don't know, how about we flip a coin," Jake laughed, allowing the subject to be dropped for now. Chance laughed too and pulled a coin from his pocket.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

During Feral's month long absence from duty, the investigation of her case had been carried out in controlled secrecy under the watchful eyes of her personal assistant, Sgt Fallon who skillfully took over the entire investigation to insure nothing was missed or leaked out to those who shouldn't know.

Meanwhile, Steele strutted around as Chief Enforcer and cared not for the grunt work involved with the case, leaving it to Fallon. Which suited the assistant just fine. The only thing that pissed off Steele was learning he'd been taking orders from a female all this time. But he had to keep his lips zipped per orders from the Mayor who was adamant that Feral's true state of affairs never come to light to the public or the lower ranking Enforcers.

So Sgt Fallon worked in conjunction with Feral's lawyer and the city's prosecutor in collecting evidence, then presenting the case before the grand jury that consisted of them, the court recorder and Judge Contigre. It was a short hearing, culminating in the death being declared justifiable homicide which cleared Feral of any wrongdoing. Her lawyer insured all court documents were sealed and stored immediately after the case was closed to keep the number of people knowing Feral's true history to only those who had been involved.

This amount of secrecy would have been frowned upon, normally, but the mitigating circumstances were such that an exception had been made, especially in light of the joint plea the court received from the Mayor and, to their shocked surprise, the SWAT Kats, that Feral's true gender and species not be revealed for her safety and to prevent a panic among the Katizens. Feral had also been given special Katizenship by the Mayor's office as she had not formerly asked to become a Katizen of Megakat City all those years ago. None argued against her retaining her position as Chief Enforcer as what she truly was had nothing to do with her abilities as an Enforcer.

Callie and T-Bone were proud to give her that information which made her smile broadly for the first time since this traumatic event had happened to her. Now all she had to do was get over her 'male' hurtle to be back at work again.

By the end of the month, with the city surprisingly quiet (which meant Steele didn't have much to screw up), she finished her treatment. It had been a harrowing journey filled with enough tears to fill a lake, screams, violent bouts of anger, swings of depression and happiness, and baring her soul until she felt raw.

She couldn't count the number of times she felt like belting Dr. Genzer and if it weren't for T-Bone's soothing visits to break up the tension, she would have done the unforgivable, incinerate Genzer's office.

But now here she stood with her release papers in paw and leaving through the doors to the outside at last. Her self esteem was stronger, the nightmares fewer and less debilitating, and she was ready to return to work feeling freer than she could remember and most importantly, she was able to interact with males again, almost without flinching, cowering, or attacking when close to them. However, she still had to hide her gender from all but a tiny handful of individuals and continue her charade as a male but this time she chose to do it, no longer cowering in fear of discovery by her mate. Though her spirit had taken a beating, it had survived the fires and was stronger for it.

The only dark side to her optimism was the fact that the upper ranks of her enforcers knew by now that he was a she though nothing about her being a different species nor her horrific background. Thankfully, the lower ranks had been kept in the dark and would not be clued in on her true gender. She'd discussed with Dr. Genser on how to deal with disclosure just after the doctor had given her the news she could go home finally. The doctor understood that full disclosure was not a safe nor politically wise option so offered some sound advice.

"_I suggest you hold a special meeting with your command officers to find out the mood of your troops before taking any actions, if any. I would also recommend you have Deputy Mayor Briggs attend the briefing with you so that she can tell them what the Mayor's stance is on this and that they support you."_

"_Good ideas, thank you. I'll contact my assistant and have him set things up for Monday. I can't wait to get back to work," Feral said, eyes lit with excitement. _

"_I can tell," Dr. Genzer said smiling. "Keep in touch and don't forget to set up your appointments for your sessions." She saw her happy patient to the door, a pleased feeling of triumph in her heart that she'd gotten this person back on her feet so quickly. However, Feral would still require at least twice monthly session's for some time but, if all went well, it shouldn't be longer than six more months._

_Returning to her floor, Feral had gone to the nurse's station and asked for a phone. A few minutes later she was speaking with her assistant. She told him what she wanted._

_He'd listened and took notes. When she finished, he said, "I'll get to this immediately, sir and may I say how glad I am to hear you're well again and will back to duty. You've been terribly missed."_

"_Thank you, Sergeant for all you've done for me and I'll see you on Monday," she said, a bit embarrassed by the praise and warmth in the Sergeant's voice. She hung up then went to get dressed to leave. _

With a sigh of relief and pleasure, she stepped down the steps of the center and headed for the taxi waiting to take her home. She planned to clean her apartment, restock groceries, catch up her bookkeeping and generally get her life back to a semblance of normalcy. It was Friday and on Monday she would don her uniform and walk back into her office and wrest control back from that fool Steele. She knew she was in for long days of undoing the mess he was sure to have made of her files and mission records but, rather than be annoyed, she was looking forward to it.


	7. Chapter 7

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 7 - Returning to Duty**

Monday morning, shift change, the Chief Enforcer of Megakat City strode through the main doors of Enforcer Headquarters. The constant buzz of the intake area ceased at the sight of her commanding form striding across the foyer for the elevators. She ignored the stunned looks of the enforcers and muttered oaths of the prisoners.

Though she appeared totally self possessed and cool, inside she was scared to death and very nervous. She was very glad an elevator appeared, disgorged its passengers, and had no one but her going back up in it. Reaching her tower offices quickly, she walked up to her secretary who looked up from her desk and gaped in pleased surprise.

"Commander, sir. So good to see you again and looking well."

"Thank you, Melody. Have anything for me?" Feral asked, warmed inside that she had been missed.

"Oh, yes sir. I was just going to take it in to Lt. Commander Steele," she said, handing over a stack of folders.

"He in there now?"

"Yes sir."

Feral nodded and carried her arm load of work to the huge door to her office and shoved it open. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Steele with his boots on her desk looking through a file.

Steele had looked up at the door's sudden opening and was shocked by the sight of Feral stalking toward him, a look of annoyance on his...uh...her face. The blond tom's feet slammed down on the floor and the file dropped to the desk as he jumped to his feet and squeaked, "Sir...ah...ma'am?" he stuttered uncertainly.

"At ease, Steele, and it's still sir. I have a meeting with all division commanders scheduled for 1000 this morning until then brief me on what has been going on since my absence," she ordered moving to take her desk as Steele hurriedly climbed down. She smiled inside as she realized Sgt Fallon had 'failed' to tell Steele about the meeting by the look of gape-jawed shock on his face.

Still shaken, Steele quickly filled the Commander in on the ongoing projects, missions, and current orders he had implemented. Grunting in annoyance, Feral found too many of his orders were unnecessary or misleading busy work taking valuable time away from the real needs of the city.

Sighing she hunkered down and began reversing the mess. She fired off a batch of orders guaranteed to keep him busy and perhaps teach him a lesson as they were reversals of his ill-conceived plans. After loading him down with work, she dismissed him and continued working diligently until the meeting.

Some hours later, Sgt Fallon knocked on her door. When she called to him, he came in and walked up to her desk. After saluting smartly he reported that all her command officers had arrived and were waiting for her in the conference room.

Acknowledging his report, she said, "Sergeant, I would like you to attend this meeting as well. You need to be aware of my past because some of it will still affect me and that is when I may need your intervention so please return to my office after the meeting so I may fill you in."

Though puzzled, Sgt Fallon nodded. "Of course, sir. Do you wish me to take notes?"

She thought about that a moment then nodded. "Yes, but only of the officer's responses not what I have to say unless it's for yourself but guard your notes. None must know or see anything about what I'm about to reveal, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good." She sighed and stood up from her desk. Now that it was time to bear her soul, she was terrified. She didn't feel remotely confident at this moment.

Sgt Fallon eyed her critically. Whatever she had to say would apparently not be pleasant and had her very nervous, something he wasn't used to seeing. "Sir?"

Feral glanced at him startled, her mind already on the briefing. "Yes?"

"They won't eat you sir. They've done well to keep a lid on what happened to you. We just all want to know if you're okay and if things will continue as they have. Try and relax," he offered, smiling encouragingly at her. He'd never tried to give his Commander a pep talk before and it felt rather weird but it was definitely necessary. He wondered if this was an example of some of the things he might have to do now?

She looked at him in surprise and found herself smiling at his attempt to ease her. "I guess my nerves are showing, eh? Thank you for your concern and you're right, I am very nervous and you'll find out why in a moment but I'm pleased to have your support right now," she murmured, her smile turning sad.

"You'll always have it, sir," Fallon said briskly. She nodded her thanks.

They walked from her office into the attached conference room. Her stomach lurched at all the faces turned toward her. Keeping her spine straight and her face calm she reached the lectern at the head of the room then forced herself to study each face to gauge their mood. Their expressions spanned the spectrum from curious, uncertain, blank, concerned, puzzled, waiting, and annoyed (most likely from being pulled from their work).

Their very presence made her want to run screaming from the room and she had to use all her will power to stand firm and wrestle her fear to the ground, stamping on it. There were at least four other females including Ms. Briggs which helped a little. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, she tried to relax and just get on with it.

"This meeting is to answer any questions you might have about me. I also wished to know what rumors are floating among the troops and your impressions of the lower ranks mood," she said briskly.

"So to begin, what am I? My species is known as Sabaren. No we're not extinct as many scientists have thought just very reclusive. Our bodies pull energy from nature and we use it for defense, hunting, and as a tool. Our reflexes are faster and senses sharper than Kat kind. Looking at us you can't tell the difference except for our eyes. Contacts hide the fact they are tri-colored. We can also change our features slightly using our energy, and, no, we can't do major alterations, like change from one sex to another," she said firmly, responding to a few gasps of shock from her listeners.

"Why haven't we integrated with Kat kind? My species prefers to live in remote mountainous regions away from you. I'm guessing it's a racial thing but since no one cared to enlighten me among my clan, I don't know the true reason for our segregation. But that didn't stop our younger males from visiting the nearby Kat community for their amusement nor buying parts for our mining equipment and some medical supplies. However, no one mated with Kats and we females were forbidden to leave our homes." A bitter note crept into her voice at that admission.

"We live in clan holdings all our lives, rarely visiting or moving to other clans. Again, I don't know if that was just because our clan elders wished to keep us apart from others or for some other reason. What I do know is our clan population was diminishing rapidly each year due to fewer births, suicides and death."

"But I thought you were a hardy species, strong, heal quickly and very hard to kill. How could you be dying and what's the reason for the suicides?" Ms. Briggs interrupted, not having heard this before in all the briefings she'd gotten about Feral while she was hospitalized.

Her look bitter and sad, Feral said, "Actually, Ms. Briggs, I simply don't know. During my education in the academy, I came to the conclusion that my elders were possibly social outcasts. They banded together after being kicked out of a normal clan and formed this very sick version of one where they could continue their idea of how females should be treated. It's the only thing I could come up with to try and understand how they could be so abusive to the females they needed to breed the next generation. I have no idea if anyone else saw what was happening or even cared as we didn't dare speak to each other. Each mated female was isolated from anyone else so no social interaction was going on. Meanwhile, the males born had the same sick mindset and were trained to be sexual sadists very early on. Whatever the true reason was behind our clan, we females were dying from the abuse, committing suicide to escape it, or running as I did though I can only recall me being the only one that tried that, and no new births were occurring for the past five years."

"That's horrible! It sounds more like a cult than a clan," Callie gasped, others around her voiced their disgust and anger at what they'd heard as well.

"Yes, I think it does in a way. Fortunately, this sick community will simply die out within a few decades. What I'm truly hoping is this is an exception rather than the rule for my people or very quickly we will be extinct," Feral said, worry in her voice.

"Perhaps it's time they come out of hiding. Yes, they are considered dangerous and I think they shouldn't reveal where they live in case Kats turn on them in fear, but they should reach out to our race for aid to keep them from being forgotten as a species. If the birth problem is widespread, we might help you find out why its happening and perhaps stop it. It's something to think about, sir," Her senior line officer suggested, quietly.

"A good idea. Perhaps letting Dr. Sinian know about us so she could go on a fact hunting mission would help but I wouldn't recommend anyone seeking us out without one of us there and as busy as I am defending this city, I'm not sure when that would happen," Feral said, shrugging.

"That's certainly true, Commander, however, it also means the search might never happen and your people could continue to vanish. I think we need to speak with Dr. Sinian as you suggest and see what can be done. I don't want this to be swept under the rug because you're too busy," Callie said, seriously.

"I appreciate your concern, Ms. Briggs and I'm open to doing something about it. Thank you." Feral sighed, knowing Briggs wouldn't let this go and perhaps that was a good thing. "Anyway, to continue this briefing...why did I leave my home? Well, I think I already answered that but for you to truly understand my reasons here's my story. I warn you it's very disturbing.

I was only days from my eighteenth birthday when my mate returned from a night spent in the Kat's town. He arrived at dawn, very angry and drunk. To this day I have no idea why he was so upset but he yanked me from bed and proceeded to beat me nearly to death then left me bleeding and semi-conscious on the floor. It took everything I had in me to get up, tend my injuries, pack a bag and leave. How I made it over the mountains and to the next country's border I have no idea...but I did and was found by a patrol and taken to a hospital. I was forever grateful the two patrolkats had gone with me for if they had stayed while I was airlifted away, my mate would have beaten them to obtain my location then killed them." She paused to swallow past the pain that memory still brought her.

"OMG! I don't see how you managed to survive all that. Did your mate often beat you? You said abuse but I wasn't certain what kind you meant," Major Ben Skyfur interrupted, so shocked he couldn't wait until she finished.

"It was both physical and mental abuse. My mate tortured and raped me for more than two years starting about six months after my father handed me over to him. At first I thought it was because I had yet to present him with a cub but later I came to realize he simply liked to hear the sound of my bones breaking and my screams. There aren't many bones in my body he didn't break nor any form of sexual torture he didn't use on me," she responded rather matter-of-factly, as if it had happened to someone else not her.

Skyfur hissed, shaking his head in anger that someone could do such a thing to another. The others made similar noises showing their anger and dismay. Feral didn't want their pity so hurriedly pushed on with her story.

"Anyway, once I received treatment at the hospital, the pain drugs allowed me to get up and move so I could slip away before someone would arrive to question how I came to be beaten, why my eyes were so strange, and discover I wasn't a Kat at all. I stole some clothes and slipped away, catching a bus that headed away from my home, eventually finding my way here. I lived on the fringes of your city recovering from my injuries, learning to tolerate being near males, and figuring out what I was going to do to survive among you. I saw an Enforcer poster one day and that's when I made the decision to change my appearance and join. For the first time in my life I had a purpose, safety, and a home. I was happy for twenty years until he finally found me and the nightmare began again." She halted and heaved for breath, a flash of what her mate had done to her breaking her thoughts briefly, but she firmly shoved it away and continued on.

"He surprised me when I was leaving work, knocking me out. When I woke he'd tied me to a bed in that warehouse where the SWAT Kats had finally rescued me. Over the week he'd had me prisoner, the torture and rape had begun again. Not having had sex for so many years, it was agonizing and I'd forgotten how much it hurt to have my energy bottled up again as he liked to do to me on a regular basis. Starving me as well, he tried to break my spirit and punish me for running away. On the day of my rescue, my mate had just raped me and dumped his excess energy, then left the room. The SWAT Kats chose that moment to drop down from the roof and release me.

Unfortunately, my mate returned before we could escape. Though they fought hard, the SWAT Kats weren't familiar with how fast and dangerous we are. My mate was getting ready to kill them when I jumped in. But despite my Enforcer training he managed to pin me and that's when I snapped. I would not take his abuse any longer so when we struggled, I managed to rip his throat out. Unfortunately, the combination of my wounds, deprivation, and the shock of killing my mate, caused me to keel over. Of course, after such an ordeal and never having dealt with my abuse, I required psychiatric treatment. He rekindled my fear of males and that took most of my hospital stay to try and cure with moderate success which means though I can now stand here before you and not run screaming in fear, I still can't allow you within my personal space. Other than that difficulty, I've been cleared for duty." Completely drained emotionally, she still kept ramrod straight and asked, "Do you have any other questions I didn't answer?"

The room went deathly silent for several minutes as her officers digested the horrifying story. Many of the faces had varying degrees of sorrow, pity and righteous anger on them. Callie felt the Commander had been very strong and lucky to have survived what she'd gone through. The senior line officer, Colonel Renfur finally broke the silence.

"Commander, I'm sure I speak for all when I say we're appalled by what you went through. That being said, we are all grateful that you survived and have returned. We don't hold being forced to kill that piece of filth against you. The courts have cleared you of any wrong doing and that's good enough for us. Personally, I'd have put a bullet in his brain for being such a monster," Colonel Renfur said, gruffly. That elicited a small smile from Feral at his gallant declaration.

"I for one think you were damned brave to have managed so much at such a young age, sir. I hope you don't still harbor any guilt for killing that bastard?" Major Rose Thorne growled.

"Only a little, it will be awhile before I can look on it as a necessity. After all, I was his mate for two years and had been trained to obey him in all things, so breaking that is not easy but my psychiatrist says it will fade with time."

"That's good to know but I find it hard to believe a whole society could allow such treatment to continue. I think you're right in your assumption that your clan could be outcasts because I honestly can't think how a race could survive this long living by such rules. But what really surprises me was no other clans found you. Did none stop by at all and see what was going on, sir?" Major Joyce Hornsby asked, scandalized that such a thing could have gone on in the first place.

"I don't recall any clan visiting us but then I wasn't allowed to mingle so if there were visitors I wouldn't have known about them unless my mate was willing to tell me. Since our conversations were always him giving me orders and I was never encouraged to ask anything, I never knew much about what went on anyway. We females were kept deliberately cowed and ignorant per the elder's orders," Feral admitted, knowing how terrible that must sound.

"That's just so wrong. You made the right decision fleeing such a situation, sir. By the way, how badly were you hurt when you fled?" Major Skyfur asked.

"He'd broken my left arm and two ribs, gave me a concussion and clawed me deeply down my chest and back," Feral said matter-of-factly, the memory too old to bother her any longer.

"Shit!" Skyfur muttered, shocked.

"That bastard!" LtCol Anya Pierson hissed.

"Uhm, changing the subject now, could we see your true appearance, sir?" Major Thorne asked, thinking the Commander's past should be dropped as she could see it was making Feral uncomfortable. "I'd like to see the female who had the moxy to hightail it out of that situation."

Feral blushed at the compliment. "Uhm well if everyone wants that..." Immediate nods of heads told her they did, so she shrugged and carefully took her contacts out then allowed her energy to reshape her face to its natural appearance.

There were gasps and frank staring when they beheld her except for Callie who'd seen the real thing before.

"Wow! What cool looking eyes," Lt Col Clara Sheraton commented, admiring them.

"You don't look like a male at all now though you're certainly built like a brick house for a fem," Major Skyfur whistled, irreverently.

That comment made Feral blush hotly.

Lt Col Pierson punched Skyfur on the arm. He gave her an affronted look. "What, she's a knockout!"

Feral rolled her unique eyes and blushed even more. Pierson shook her head at the way the males were reacting to the amazing looking female. "Males," she snorted.

Callie could only smirk in agreement but hiding it behind her paw. It was good to see Feral receiving the compliments she should have gotten all along. Though she certainly was no raving beauty, she was attractive. Of course, it was her unique eyes that truly grabbed the show.

"Uh...I think we've gotten off the track here again so let me return to my male appearance and we'll deal with the rest of the questions you might have," Feral murmured, hurriedly restoring her male image again.

Eyeing Feral curiously, Colonel Renfur asked, "I notice your voice didn't change, was it always that deep?"

"No, constantly screaming altered my voice. It used to be more a tenor and softer," Feral admitted.

"That bastard!" Major Thorne felt compelled to say again, absolutely furious a male could be so cruel.

"I agree with that sentiment." Colonel Renfur said then steered the meeting back to it's real purpose. "Now, I suggest we get to the real meat of our possible problems. Sir, do we treat you as we always have and ignore your true gender? Do you require any special treatment now? And what about your energy? Do you have adequate control of it or is there some danger for those around you and in battle? What little we know about your species, has caused a lot of speculation on just how powerful and dangerous you truly are."

"Yes to your first question, Colonel, ignore my gender and act as you normally have toward me. Except to keep out of my personal space, there are no other special requirements you need to concern yourself about, and as for my energy use, well, I was kept from utilizing it except for the most basic of things so I have no idea how powerful I might be. So your idea of me using it as a weapon isn't viable yet," Feral admitted.

"Then it's imperative you do learn, sir, and I strongly suggest you go out into the desert where no one can see you. Experiment and learn what you're capable of and practice it until you can use and control it as you desire. Then we can discuss whether you can be the weapon we need to get rid of those omegas at last," Colonel Renfur said, a little excitement and hope coloring his voice. "It would be the best gift you could give your adoptive city in getting rid of those bastards. I, for one, am hardily tired of fighting a near endless war, here."

Feral eyed him in surprise. "Uh...I hadn't honestly thought about that possibility. It's certainly an excellent one but at the same time, I don't want to frighten the Katizens nor my own troops by suddenly displaying such dangerous capabilities in front of them."

"With all the things this city's already seen and experienced, sir, I truly doubt they'd be shocked by one more..." Skyfur began to say.

"NO!" Feral blurted, interrupting the tom and surprising everyone. She blushed at being so forceful but said, "I mean, yes the city is used to such things but no, I don't want to be that to them. If I was open about my abilities two things could happen: Kats might take it into their heads to hunt us because they are afraid of what we might do, or two my own clan could decide to take me back if they somehow learned I was here. Though the odds of that are slim, I'm just not willing to risk it."

"I didn't mean for you to openly reveal your abilities, sir. Certainly not to the public at large," Major Skyfur hurriedly reassured her. "I only meant, you could sneakily use it within the Enforcers during battle and the Katizens wouldn't react to it. No one but us would know you are the one generating the energy to fight the omegas and we would shield you from the press and civilians if they do see it."

"And there's a way to ensure that, sir. I suggest we let it get out among our troops that something happened to you during the battle. Let them know you can somehow generate high levels of energy and use them to blast things. Like Skyfur said, we'd shield you from the public finding out and warn the troops that this must be kept in house ... strictly hush-hush...our own secret weapon, then you can finally help us take those omegas out. What do you think?" Lt Col Pierson added excitedly

Feral blinked at them in amazement. As she thought about it, she realized it could actually work. Skyfur was right, the weird was common place here so why would one more strange ability even be questioned by anyone and Pierson's idea was a way for her to do it secretly.

Then Ms. Briggs added in her two cents. She like this solution and it solved so many possible problems too. "Commander, I think that's a wonderful idea. I'm sure the Mayor would agree and it would solve your problem of needing to use your energy. You did say it was hard not to use it and here's your opportunity to do so protected by your own troops."

Feral nodded. "You're right. My getting control of my abilities and maybe taking out our enemies with it are very good points and one I'll work on immediately. I'll finally be able to be who I am if only undercover," she smiled. Everyone smiled with her. "Okay, now that's out of the way, I still need to know need to know what rumors are circulating about me among the troops and what their mood is like so I'm not blindsided."

"Since I'm the one that controlled the information on the incident, Commander and already briefed you, I'll tell everyone here what I did. Mayor Manx issued an information blackout on her hospitalization and the report of the incident in the warehouse. What we did release was that a dangerous criminal had been killed by the Commander and she had been seriously injured in the battle. The number of people knowing the full truth of what went on is in this room and the SWAT Kats who were there. The officers on site, CSI, the morgue, and hospital personal only have pieces of the story. We've done all we could to hush it up and feel we were successful as the latest casual conversation I had with Ann Gora of Kats Eye News was they no longer had any interest in the story. As for inside the Enforcers, Lt. Commander Steele was in charge of that end..." She gave the blond tom a significant look.

In his usual, self-important way, Steele told them what he'd done. "Ms. Briggs and I discussed what each of us would do at the scene. While she handled the press and hospital personal, I ensured the investigation team and enforcers on the scene would keep their mouths shut and all reports would be funneled through me. The body was taken care of by the head of the morgue and no one else. It is presently in cold storage awaiting instructions by you, Commander, as to what to do with it. I left strict orders to all squadron commanders that no word of what happened with you would be gossiped about on pain of some dire consequences. Colonel Renfur, have you heard anything from the troops on this? I believe you were conducting a poll?" He turned his head to ask the tom in question.

"Yes sir. The results are good. We've not heard anything from outside about the incident and only speculation about the Commander's absence within house. Most troops seem to think the SWAT Kats had injured you in some way, Commander and we decided it would be best to allow that little misinformation to continue to circulate. As of today, the troops all think you were hospitalized for injuries suffered in battle and are now back to duty. The general mood throughout is one of relief and pleasure at your return," Colonel Renfur corroborated, smiling.

"That's good news. I appreciate everyone's efforts in keeping this quiet. With the case closed and the file sealed there should be no need to speak of it again. Release the information on my new 'ability' (everyone grin at that) as soon as possible," Feral said, happy things were going her way at last.

"There is, however, one last thing I need to tell you all about me." She wished she didn't have to even mention this but there really wasn't any way to cover it up if she wasn't discreet enough and it got out. Steeling herself against the flak she was about to endure, she plowed ahead.

"This is a case of biological necessity, something I can't ignore and must take care of regularly. Sabaran's bodies are meant to absorb energy but we have no shutoff valve. Most of the energy passes through but a good fifty percent remains in our bodies to keep us alive and functioning, however, an overload will occur if we don't dump our energy after two to four weeks. The time varies by individual. Mine, at present, requires dumping every fourteen days. This occurs only when we've been mated not when we're single. I have no idea why. Anyway, the only way to dump energy is by intercourse. No other method works I'm sorry to say."

"So you have to have sex on a regular basis...what's the problem with that?" Skyfur asked, confused.

"Did you miss her saying how close she's able to be to a male," Lt Col Pierson coolly admonished him.

"Oh, that's right, uh...sorry, sir but ...wait...how were you able to dump power during your rescue and all those years before this incident?" Skyfur objected.

Feral sighed. She really didn't want to discuss this but..."Before my kidnapping, I used to seek what I needed in the more poorer side of town..."

"You mean you frequented the Red Light district?" Steele blurted, shocked and scandalous to learn the Chief Enforcer was using male hookers.

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she said, tightly, "I did what I had to since I needed to hide my identity, Steele. It was never pleasant for me and humiliating besides. And before you ask, Skyfur, I wore a mask and never gave my name." The captain subsided.

"As for what happened at the warehouse, the only males available for me to dump the excess energy my mate left me with was the SWAT Kats. One volunteered and it was difficult for us both. Once he defused the problem (I never heard it called that before, Skyfur muttered), I was safe again. But thanks to my mate's recent abuse, I no longer can accept any male but that one whom I have a level of trust with and who took care of me while I was at the Kanler Center. We have been very discreet but no matter how careful we are, we could be compromised, which is why I needed to tell you about it."

"I see, sir...so we can take some fast cover up tactics to protect you and the Enforcers from some nasty repercussions," Colonel Renfur said understandingly.

"Yes, unfortunately," Feral admitted, awkwardly.

"Uh, so which of them are we talking about here?" Steele asked, frowning, not liking this complication at all.

Eyeing him warily, Feral said, "T-Bone."

"What? That arrogant pilot with the big mouth? You let him near your?" Steele gasped, outraged. "He's a big blowhard! How can you trust him not to rat on you with the press? He could compromise your position and ruin the Enforcer's image in the process!" He objected loudly.

Instantly a flash of fury zipped through Feral at Steele's nasty comment about her lover, and, without thinking, she sent a blast of energy at the pipsqueak, blowing him out of his seat and across the room. Steele hit the wall then slid to the floor totally shocked and rubbing his chest where his uniform had been burned away in a circular hole.

The room froze in stunned shock as they stared at the furious, glowing eyed Feral and the frightened and smarting Steele across the room. No one moved or said a thing for a long moment.

Finally, Callie felt she should do something to defuse the dangerous moment since none of the males could get close to Feral. She cautiously and slowly got up from her seat and went to the angry female's side but not too close. "Ulera? I know it wasn't nice of him to say that, but I don't think you should have done that to Steele, even though he did deserve it," she admonished the Commander gently.

The Sabaran jerked back a step at Callie's nearness and stared at her a long moment before being able to process what the she-kat had said. Then her face drained of color as she realized what she'd done. Quickly putting her guilty paws behind her back, she stuttered an apology.

"OMG! I-I-I'm soo sorry. You made me so mad that I just saw red and fired."

"But despite being angry, you held back and only shoved him away. You didn't do him any lasting harm and that's a good thing," Callie reassured her quickly.

Trembling with shock, Feral felt her face flame with humiliation. She hoped she hadn't ruined the new understanding she'd just achieved with her people by losing control like that. Looking over at Steele, she saw him staring at her in fear.

"Are you alright, Steele?"

"Uhm...yes ma'am...uh...sir...I'm okay, really," the blond tom said quickly, realizing he should soothe his Commander's fears so there wouldn't be a repeat of her earlier anger. Rule number one, don't piss off the Commander...ever! He promised himself.

"That was unprofessional of me and I'm sorry, however, don't you ever say such things about T-Bone to me again, understand?" Though contrite about what she had done, she was still angry he'd said what he did and wanted no repeat of it.

"I understand completely, sir. My lips on the subject are permanently sealed, promise," Steele hurriedly said as he slowly got up from the floor and returned to his seat.

Callie sighed mentally, relieved things were calm once more and returning to her seat.

"Though what you did is certainly upsetting, Commander, it did prove you can control yourself. You could have done him serious harm or killed him but you didn't. That's certainly good to know. Now all you have to do is learn how to do that with more control and perhaps more power behind it," Colonel Renfur said encouragingly, pushing her to move on and treat the incident as a lesson learned.

But, privately his thoughts were jubilant with a dash of concern. Wow! What power and if she can control it perhaps we'll actually get our city back. Though that hair trigger needs work. Leave it to Steele to find a raw nerve but at least we know what it is and won't set her off on that again. Though having her be intimate with a vigilante could cause all kinds of problems. Well all we can do is protect her and hope it doesn't bite us in the ass later.

Feral stared at him in surprise. Looking around the table, she saw only a little fear but a whole lot of admiration and excitement. It boggled her mind and almost moved her to tears to realize they were accepting her and saw her powers as a gift not a threat.

They might not think so later if I can't control myself better than this. At least I didn't hurt him so I'm not completely hopeless, she thought, relieved.

"Uh, well I'm glad you're all okay with this. That certainly relieves my mind on the subject. Does anyone have any other questions of me?"

Heads shook.

"If I might recap, Commander?" Renfur asked. Feral nodded. "First, we treat the Commander as we always have; second, no getting into her personal space at any time until she says it's okay; third, if she needs him, the SWAT Kat known as T-Bone will be allowed access to her at anytime...no complaints or impeding him...pass the word; fourth, when she's ready, we'll protect her from outsiders when she uses her power to protect the city. Does that cover everything we discussed?"

Heads nodded again.

"Excellent and thank you for doing that, Colonel. That ends this meeting. Thanks to all of you for understanding my difficulties and your willingness in allowing me to remain as your Commander, that means a great deal to me. Now I'm ready to return to work," Feral said, feeling pleased and happy at the result of this meeting.

"And we're very glad to have you back, sir," Colonel Renfur said sincerely, smiling warmly as he offered a salute. All the others stood and did the same.

Her face its normal professional flatness, returned their salutes then watched them file out. Callie was the last to leave, pausing a moment to pat Feral lightly on the back. "Congratulations on making it through this trying period and being accepted by your troops, Ulera. I know you'll do alright, just keep doing what you do best, protecting the city," she said warmly then turned and left Feral alone.

Feral felt wonderfully relieved and satisfied that this had gone well. She turned and left for her office. Waiting for her was Sgt Fallon just as she'd asked. She offered him a small smile as she passed him to go to sit at her desk.

"Thank you for waiting. I have one last thing I need to relate but didn't want to tell any of the others about it. It will be between you and me alone, understood?"

"Of course, sir!"

"My psychiatrist has warned me that certain cases we get involved in could trigger a flashback. You'll know I'm in trouble when I scream and go into fright mode. Anyone seeing me like that is going to get a real scare as my eyes glow, my fangs are extended as are my talons. Do not, under any circumstances, get any closer to me than three feet and don't touch me. Try and call me back to myself if you can. If all your efforts fail, summon T-Bone before things go fubar. Understand?"

Fallon stared at her in shocked surprise but recovered quickly. "Yes sir! I will do whatever it takes to aid you, never fear. However, this business with that SWAT Kat could be used against you," he said worriedly.

"Yes, I am aware of that Sergeant that's why I need you to think quickly and do what you must to cover any incidents. You're the only one I trust to be able to handle such a sensitive matter and do all you can to protect all our reputations. Any fallout that might occur we'll deal with at that time. Things could get even more awkward should T-Bone and I become more intimately entangled but let's not borrow trouble until it stares us in the face, alright?"

That last statement made Fallon even more uncomfortable, but she was counting on him and he wouldn't fail her. "I understand perfectly sir. I'll do whatever it takes to protect your reputation and that of the Enforcer's, have no fear. I just hope being so close to that SWAT Kat doesn't cause you any serious repercussions."

"I know, believe me, I do, however, there's nothing I can do about the situation right now. But it relieves my mind that I have you behind me, looking out for me," Feral said warmly.

Fallon gave her a small smile, proud she had that much pride and trust in him. He promised himself never to let her down no matter what he had to do to accomplish it. For a moment, he thought how strange it was that he was able to accept his Commander turning out to be a she instead of a he and still want to defend her as much as before. He thought, well that's just the kind of person she was, inspiring others to be like her or the him she portrayed so well.


	8. Chapter 8

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**Chapter 8: A Possible Plan**

Thrilled and relieved to be back at work again, Feral took up the reins of her life once more. The only things that had really changed were the private moments she spent in T-Bone's company, once every two weeks, and the fact a small portion of her staff knew exactly what she was. Other than that, life went on as normal.

Colonel Renfur's urging that she learn how to use her energy was difficult for her to get started on as she needed to catch up her work from her long absence then before she could make trips to the desert a new threat reared it's head...omegas were beginning to vanish from the prison and do things they never had before. Her plans were put on hold once more as she tried to find out what was going on.

It all started with the escape of Hard Drive from Megakat Prison. It shouldn't have been possible for him to have gotten out of his cell in the first place as he was just an ordinary tom when not wearing his surge suit. However, someone had managed to spirit him away with no trace of how it was done.

She was pissed about it and had a thorough investigation done to check the prison's security. All that turned up was an unexplained loss of power for approximately five minutes. The security tapes for his cell block were blank for those crucial moments as well. That alone pointed to someone planning the breakout and carrying it out with ease. Presently, every guard was undergoing a deep background search but nothing was causing a blip on the radar yet.

Feral was tired of this happening on a frequent basis. She wanted it stopped...now! It was bad enough Dr. Viper had escaped Enforcer custody some months ago when being transported to the jail. Now Hard Drive was gone. How many more might be broken out?

She was beginning to have her suspicions these events were connected but she couldn't prove it yet.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Just two weeks after the techno thief had escaped, the alarm went out that Turmoil was no where to be found. Furious, Feral went to the prison yet again and did the same round of investigations to no avail. Again, there was no sign of how she'd managed her escape and the background checks of the guards had come up clean.

By now Feral was getting a decidedly bad feeling. The only omegas not seen or heard from yet were the Metallikats and Dark Kat.

Frustrated and angry as well as worried, Feral returned to her office after the fruitless search for the air pirate and laid in a call to Professor Hackle. The conversation only made her even more upset and concerned.

"Hackle! Feral here."

"Ahhh...yes Commander. What can I do for you?"

"Are the Metallikats still disassembled?"

"No, I rebuilt them some months ago. I've been trying to reprogram them without much luck, I'm afraid," Hackle said, unhappily.

Feral rubbed her face and rolled her eyes. When would this idiot see that all his efforts were wasted on those two? She sighed and asked, "So they are still there under your control?"

"Of course."

"Please humor me and see if that is true or are you standing near them now?"

"No I'm not...If you would just wait a moment, Commander..." Hackle sighed and walked back into his rear lab and stopped at the work bench. He flicked the light on and stared in dismay at a blank wall that held two odd looking body shape shells which were empty. "They're gone!" Hackle blurted into the phone as he stared at the shells that had once restrained the two robots.

"No surprise there," Feral huffed, bitterly. "Whoever is freeing the other omegas obviously grabbed them too."

"Oh my...what are you..." Hackle started to ask but all he heard was the buzz of a disconnected line. He set his phone down slowly and stared at the empty wall in anguished dismay. "Why must these two always fail me?" He asked the air.

Feral slammed her phone down. This just gets better and better, she thought sarcastically. It was becoming obvious to her that Dark Kat had to be behind all this. He must be planning something really big. She leaped from her seat and stared out the nearest window.

She felt helpless and angry. Out there somewhere Dark Kat was hiding and building an army that would be large enough to take over the city. She was certain of it. So how was she supposed to prove it much less stop it from happening? And if not stop it, how did they fight it when it landed in their lap?

She stared out the window for hours racking her tired brain for answers.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Barely two weeks later, an alarm went off at Pumadyne. Feral cursed the place's lousy security that allowed so many criminals to just waltz in and take what they wanted. She grabbed her coat and headed for the flight line. Soon she was winging her way with six other choppers to the weapon's factory. On her way there, she learned a criminal that had been released on bail and awaiting trial was the one who had slipped into the plant and had somehow managed to take a new prototype of a flying tank.

Upon arrival, they were nearly plowed into by the stolen vehicle flying right at them. Though huge and unwieldy, Chop Shop managed to fly the prototype easily, out maneuvering the Enforcer choppers and wiping them nearly from the sky with the tank's new weapons systems. Feral was about to summon back up when the Turbokat arrived on the scene.

"Hey Feral, need a little help?" the pilot quipped over the Enforcer frequency.

Feral snarled in the radio, "Back off SWAT Kat!"

"Once we're done," the pilot responded coolly then engaged the tank.

Furious, Feral was forced to watch in annoyance as the pair engaged the creep in a dog fight. After trading blows back and forth for several minutes, Razor rather handily knocked the behemoth from the sky where it splatted down and trashed a huge section of roadway. T-Bone waggled the wings of his jet at Feral before flying off, leaving the resultant mess to be cleaned up by the Enforcers.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

She was in a very foul mood when she stormed back into her office where more bad news awaited her. When she walked into her office, Sgt Fallon was there waiting for her, a report in his paws.

"Commander, preliminary investigation shows while our forces were engaging Chop Shop, someone else was using the distraction to steal the prototype's plans. Security reports seeing Hard Drive vanishing out a wall socket where the plans were being kept," he stated glumly.

"Crud, what is going on here? These two have never worked together before," Feral mused, worriedly.

"Sir, are you sure they were working together or did one take advantage of the other?" the Sergeant ventured.

"No, it's a little too convenient for both of them to be there at the same time. It sounds like a well planned attack and that solidifies my suspicions that Dark Kat is at the bottom of all this and planning a major attack on the city," Feral said, grimly.

Sgt Fallon felt his stomach drop. He'd not had all the pieces of this puzzle yet though he had heard about the escapes. But now that his Commander had put it altogether, he was certain she was right in her suspicions and that made him terrified and angry. Though he'd not wanted to think about it, he knew it was only a matter of time before Dark Kat did something on a truly grand scale in his determination to take this city and rule it himself. He was forced to agree their time was now up.

"What can we do, sir?" he asked worriedly.

"At the moment, I'm forced to put the Enforcers on DEFCON 2, warn the mayor and alert the public, gear up our forces and wait until the omegas make their grand entrance," Feral said, more than a little disgusted as she went to her desk to set in motion everything she needed to though she knew in her heart it most likely wouldn't be enough to save the city this time. "Wait for further orders," she told her assistant.

Her first step was to call the mayor's office, getting Ms. Briggs instead, which was a good thing. She didn't want to listen to Manx panicking over the phone lines.

"What can I do for you, Commander," Callie asked when her secretary had patched Feral through to her.

"Ms. Briggs, I'm afraid I have some bad news that will probably cause a panic among the Katizens."

"Ohh..What is it?" Callie felt her heart sink. This couldn't be good.

Feral quickly briefed her on her suspicions and what she planned to do to prepare for the worst.

For several minutes there was nothing but dead air between them, then Callie gave a soft groan of dismay and concern.

"I'm afraid you may be right. All of that would lead me to the same conclusion. However, you have no idea when the attack might happen, correct?"

Feral sighed. "No."

"Like you, I would prefer to be ready than wait to the last minute but the council and Mayor Manx adamantly won't allow the public to be told until there was more proof that such an attack is likely," Callie said, unhappily.

She heard a growl of annoyance come over the line. "Yea, kinda thought that would be true. Don't like the idea at all that innocents will be in the direct line of fire when all hell breaks and right now, we simply don't know when that will be."

"I feel the same. Also, I'm afraid you can't go to DEFCON 2 with so little information either," Callie said, sadly, hating to upset Feral further. Even though both of them were certain the danger was real and imminent, politicians being who they were, loved to play 'wait and see' games rather than listen to those who were right about such things nearly 90% of the time. It was a game no one won least of all the public.

Feral hissed and cursed for a moment before calming. "Fine, then I'll settle for DEFCON 3. I adamantly will not leave my Enforcers ill prepared."

"And I agree with you. DEFCON 3 is perfectly reasonable to me and I'll ensure the Mayor can't argue with it," Callie said.

"Thank you, Callie. Sometimes I really wish you were the Mayor, especially right now," Feral wistfully declared.

Callie blinked in surprise. Hearing Feral call her by her first name and saying something so nice felt strange but then she was actually hearing the real person for the first time and not the persona Feral used on a daily basis. It felt kind of nice to be trusted that much and it boded well for their future interactions. "I wish I could do more, Commander. Please, keep me informed."

"I will...later," Feral sighed ending the conversation.

"Later..." Callie murmured, hanging up. She grimaced as she put the phone back in its cradle. Manx was going to be a pawful after she told him this news.

After her conversation with the Deputy Mayor, Feral made a note on her pad then began quickly writing up an order to go to DEFCON 3 with some added provisos: recall all troops, all leaves cancelled for the duration of the alert; every Enforcer would be issued their weapons pack; tanks, choppers, and jets to be prepped and put on standby; rotate troops to keep them fresh but no word gets out to the public (and that meant family too) as to the reason for the recall; meeting with all police commanders by 1000 tomorrow to give them a heads up on the possible attack and to be prepared to evacuate civilians if it became necessary; staff meeting with all squadron commanders by 0800 tomorrow for a Q & A.

She paused and reread her instructions to be sure she hadn't forgotten anything then handed it off to Sgt Fallon. "Get this typed up for my signature ASAP then I need it disseminated before end of shift."

Fallon took the draft and nodded. "Yes sir, right away." He saluted then quickly turned on his heel and hurried out.

Feral stretched and went back to clearing her desk, tomorrow was going to be hectic.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

That night, was one of T-Bone's regular visits to see Ulera. He and Jake had just finished a very busy day in the garage which the interruption to chase down Chop Shop had made even longer. While he went upstairs to take a shower, Jake had closed up and ordered dinner for them.

Going into the living room a short time later, he could smell the huge hoagies Jake had ordered waiting with two cans of milk on the coffee table. His partner was already seated but hadn't yet begun to eat. Chance walked to the couch and sat down beside his friend.

"Hmm, I'm starved," he said, picking up his sandwich and taking a big bite out of it.

Jake was looking troubled when he said, "Chance, I have a bad feeling we are in the eye of a storm we may not see coming until way too late."

Blinking in confusion, Chance hurriedly chewed his mouthful and drank some milk to clear his throat before asking, "What makes you say that?"

Jake pointed at the TV where the news was playing. "The news just reported that while we we're chasing Chop Shop, Hard Drive had gone in and stolen the plans for that tank."

"What? But they don't work together!" Chance blurted, repeating what Feral had said to Fallon earlier.

"I know but when you add in everything else that's been happening over the past four months, it makes sense and the picture its building is really scary." Jake eyed his friend worriedly.

"Okay, now you've left me. How does this theft and two omegas that don't normally work together add up to anything scary?" Chance demanded, ignoring his dinner.

"Think about it a minute buddy...in the past few months there have been many escapes: Turmoil, Dr. Viper, Hard Drive, Chop Shop...then there's the fact Dark Kat has been on the loose for some time now...add in that none of the omegas have been seen until this robbery...well it can only mean one thing to me..." Jake left the rest of the sentence hanging as he eyed his partner to see if he'd make the connection too.

Refusing to accept what his mind was adding up, Chance shook his head. "Isn't that reaching a bit? I mean, none of those omegas have ever worked together except that one time and even then they turned on Dark Kat...oh...wait...except Hard Drive and Chop Shop just did..that means someone got them to do it because I doubt they would have even spoken to each other and...aw crud..." he stumbled to a halt as the facts plainly said Jake's suspicions were spot on.

"You see it all fits...the escapes, the robbery... and I bet the Metallikats aren't with the professor now either...all have the makings of a master plan orchestrated by Dark Kat. Only he could come up with something so ambitious that he managed to convince the others they could finally win over us and take the city."

"Crud! What they could do together is just too horrifying to imagine," Chance moaned as the magnitude of what Jake was suggesting hit him hard.

"Yet that's what I'm afraid is exactly what's happening as we sit here waiting for one of them to show up."

"Well, what do we do about it? We've never been able to locate these guys ever," his partner asked, frustrated.

"I know but I think something on this scale would need a large place to hide in while they geared up to attack. Something like what Dark Kat had in that volcano."

"So...what?...you suggesting we search the mountain ranges?"

"Yes!"

"Geez Jake, that will take a long time, something you're already saying we might not have." Chance shook his head and returned his attention to his sandwich, chewing it contemplatively as he let his mind work on other possible methods of locating the missing omegas but, as usual, his partner already had a plan.

"It won't be that hard, buddy. I have my x-ray device, remember? We'll just go over areas with cave systems and old volcanoes. That will narrow our search parameters," Jake said, reassuringly as he finally picked up his sandwich and began to eat it.

Chance nodded. Jake's device would make the job go faster. But once they found them, then what? "What do we do when we find them?"

Jake's face went bleaker than before. "I don't know."

Chance felt cold, his food sitting like lead in his stomach. Okay, that was soo not good. Jake always had a plan so not having one was something to be scared of. The two of them went silent as they ate and thought about the problem. Chance couldn't figure out how they and the Enforcers were going to be able to fight an army the size they were thinking Dark Kat was building. What he did know was he'd have to speak to Ulera about this tonight.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to him. Putting down his sandwich, he turned to Jake, growing excitement filling him. "What about Ulera's powers?"

Jake paused with his sandwich halfway to his mouth. He blinked and lowered it to the table. Frowning, he thought about the question. "Feral is a complete unknown, buddy. I have no idea how powerful she is and neither does she."

"Then we need to find out because she may mean the difference between winning and being destroyed," Chance said with certainty.

Jake nodded. "You're right. If she's even remotely as powerful as the rumors say her kind are, she may be our only hope but I don't know if she has any time left to learn how to use her energy."

"Don't borrow trouble, buddy. We have no choice but to go ahead and pray we have enough time and that she proves to be powerful enough," the tabby said, firmly.

"Agreed." Jake nodded, oddly relieved and comforted that they were doing all they could. He picked up his sandwich and took a bite. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the final battle against the omegas and if they won, peace at last. He would pray for it.

They talked no more about the subject and when Chance finished his dinner and said goodnight to his partner, he went downstairs to the garage then down to the hangar where he changed to T-Bone. He took his Cyclotron and zoomed out the secret exit heading for Ulera Feral's apartment.


	9. Chapter 9

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 9: Planning with the SWAT Kats**

In less than twenty minutes, T-Bone arrived at Ulera's apartment. He parked his bike behind a dumpster at the rear of her building then used his grappling line to get to the roof. Her apartment was on the top floor near the roof exit. No surprise there.

Inside Ulera's apartment, she had just finished dinner and was cleaning up. Her ears perked up when she heard her balcony door open. Smiling, she dried her paws and walked out into the living room. There he stood all handsome with a warm smile on his lips, arms open to hug her. Delighted, she stepped into his embrace and shared a warm kiss of greeting.

T-Bone never got tired of staring at Feral much to his amazement. She wasn't gorgeous yet she had an inner beauty that radiated outward and only he had the privilege to see it as she wore her male persona religiously. It was far too ingrained for her to ever be casual as female any longer but with him...she melted and wanted to be all things feminine...it made his ego swell and other things take notice that she felt that way about him.

Tonight she wore a gauzy sort of thing that was gold in color and had these silvery tracery things on it. It reached her bare feet and showed off her curves and full breasts to their best advantage. She looked spectacular. Her amazing tri-colored eyes greeted him warmly.

It was like seeing a totally different person and, in a way, he was, as she became her true self only inside her home and only for him.

Kissing her now, he remembered how shy she'd been just doing this act. Her mate never kissed her with anything but force so his more gentle manner was something new. Now that they'd been together for a couple of months, she was no longer shy nor reluctant to sample what he offered.

Unfortunately, despite the rapport they shared, she still couldn't allow other males close to her. When it truly bothered her and she complained to him about it, he would always try to reassure her that this would fade eventually into a bad memory, it just took time. No one was pushing her about her limitation at work, she told him so, that meant the stress was all her. She was just impatient to have things normal...now! He was the same way, he was forced to admit to himself so he understood how she felt and that just made things between even better.

He had let his mind wander, he chided himself then refocused on how she was reacting tonight. After their initial kiss, he could tell she was tense and anxious which meant she wanted immediate sex and not slow foreplay. One thing he'd learned was to always let her set the pace of how an evening would go...they were always her choices.

He changed the nature of the kiss to one of hard passion and danced them to the bedroom with their paws caressing and petting the whole time. Beside the bed, he began stripping his clothes off. He never stripped hers as she still flinched if he tried. She wasn't ready for that yet. It didn't take long for them both to be nude and falling on the bed in a tangle of limbs.

Ulera loved the fact T-Bone never took the lead and listened and paid attention to her needs so well. He made few mistakes in interpreting what she wanted and she found that nothing short of amazing. To have that freedom was so exhilarating. Tonight she wanted a quick, intense session to help her forget her anxiety about what Dark Kat was up to and what it meant for the city.

She lay atop him as was her usual position now and brought him to readiness, loving how responsive he was and that he knew just what touch she wanted when she wanted it. She was ready for him quickly and both groaned at the moment he slid into her hot sheathe. Panting excitedly, she quickly set a brutal pace, riding him hard until they came screaming and her energy burst forth, lighting the room like the sun for a brief moment.

It had been exactly what she'd wanted, her body feeling languid and pleasured. She allowed that feeling of comfort and peace to suffuse her being, deliberately keeping any bad thoughts away so she could savor every moment of this. They lay there until their hearts had slowed and their breaths were easy once more. Only then did her urgent concerns return to press on her.

She sighed with regret then did something she was doing more often, discuss her work with him. It should feel wrong as he was supposed to be on the opposite side of the fence but after talking with him these past months, she realized they really weren't on opposing sides, they just did the job of crime fighting in a different way. They had never really broken the law per se except for interfering with the Enforcers but that was a misdemeanor and meant to protect the public from harm so didn't apply to them, not really. They were moral souls who saw a need and bravely plowed ahead, ignoring the rules to protect the innocent. She really couldn't blame them much for that which was why she no longer felt guilty discussing serious city issues with him.

"T-Bone?" she murmured.

"Hmm?"

"You've heard about all the escapes: Turmoil, Dr. Viper, and Hard Drive and of course you were there when Chop Shop caused trouble, right?" she asked, staring up at her ceiling.

He moved then leaned over her to stare into her eyes. "Yea, we know as we monitor your frequencies and watch the news. Which is why, Razor and I had the discussion we did tonight. Everything that's been happening points to a major plot by Dark Kat. Razor is certain of it."

Ulera shook her head. "That tom...so bright he is. Yes, that's who I suspect too. I called Ms. Briggs and told her of my suspicions but politics and lack of hard evidence prevents her from allowing me to go to DEFCON 1 so I had to settle for 3," she growled sourly.

"Ugh. I bet she didn't like that either," he said, commiserating with both females frustrations.

"No, she didn't. My main concern is not knowing when they're going to strike nor where they are hiding out at so we might strike first for once," she sighed, closing her eyes a moment.

"I can't help you with the first concern but maybe I can with the second."

Her eyes flew open, staring up at him questioningly.

"Razor wants to do a scan of the mountains north of the city using his x-ray device. We're going to check those mountains with caves and dead volcanoes first. It's going to take some time but it's certainly better than sitting on our paws and waiting."

"Fantastic! Thank Razor for me...he's given me the best news I've had today," she sighed, giving him a relieved smile but her expression turned more grave when she added, "However, that doesn't help us defeat what is beginning to sound like a really big army."

"And that was the next thing I asked my partner who didn't have any idea but then I remembered we may have a secret weapon that might even the odds."

"Oh, what would that be?" she asked curiously.

"You!"

"What? I...wait...you mean my energy...T-Bone I have no idea how to use it much less just how much power I have," she protested.

"I know because you haven't allowed much to build up and haven't made time to go experiment. So from now on, we won't dump your energy quite so soon. I suggest you and I go out to the desert a day or so after you normally dump and begin experimenting. What do you say?"

She froze and thought hard about it. This was something she was supposed to be doing since the meeting with her staff but hadn't found time to get away and do, but...well...now she had no choice nor a legitimate excuse not to begin, especially if it might save them all.

"Okay, you're right, I do need to do this or I'll never know how powerful I am and whether I can control it or not but we shouldn't weigh all our hopes on me being powerful enough to take all of them down. Oh, by the way, you need to include the Metallikats in that lineup," she added.

"Crud, Razor was right. He suspected they might be gone as well and you've confirmed that. Yes, you're right we need to have as much fire power as we can muster besides your power and Razor is already developing as many new weapons as he can so I guess all you can do on the Enforcer side is what you're already doing, beef up your forces and wait. It sucks but that's all we can do at this moment."

Ulera sighed and nodded. "You're right. I already set DEFCON 3 into action but I also padded it somewhat so we wouldn't be caught unprepared."

"A wise idea," T-Bone said seriously. "So I think we should meet at the south corner of Megakat Park, dress down, and I'll take us out to the desert on say Sunday two weeks from now ... agreed?" He asked her earnestly.

"Agreed!" She said decisively. Smiling, he gave her a long kiss and that led to another bout of lovemaking before he finally released her and made ready to leave. She sighed languidly as she watched his fine back side as he got dressed. She felt a bit more confident they had planned for everything they could. Perhaps there was hope for them yet. She was already drifting off to sleep when she felt his parting kiss on her cheek. A brief smile lit her face as sleep pulled her down, never hearing her lover leave.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Arriving at the hangar a short while later, T-Bone drove his bike to its spot next to its mate and shut it down. He yawned widely then climbed off, setting his helmet on the seat before heading to his locker to change clothes. Once done, he began to walk to the landing to go upstairs when he caught sight of a light on in Jake's workshop. He changed direction and peered in. His partner was there leaning over something he was working on.

"Hey buddy, don't you think you should knock off and get some sleep?" Chance asked, yawning again to see if he could coax Jake to give it up for the night. If left on his own, Jake had the tendency to work till he dropped.

Growling irritably to warn off his friend from bothering him right now, Jake continued piecing together some odd looking equipment. Sighing and knowing there was no dealing with his friend when he was in this kind of mood, Chance turned away and went upstairs to bed.

The next morning, Chance got up and as he passed Jake's room, he found his partner fully dressed and snoring atop his bed. Smiling in amusement, he left him alone and went downstairs to make coffee. Some 20 minutes later, Jake came stumbling into the kitchen hunting for something to eat. Chance was sitting at the table reading the paper and drinking coffee.

"Morning Jake, when did you finally crash?" He asked, shaking his head at Jake's rumpled appearance.

"Ah, about 4am" his partner muttered, getting him some cereal from the cupboard. "And how was your evening with Ulera?"

"It was good and we had a long talk. She had already put together the pieces like you did about what Dark Kat might be up to and has put her Enforcers on DEFCON 3. However, she never once considered she could make a significant difference in the battle herself until I brought it to her attention."

"How'd she take it?" Jake asked more alert and interested, filling a bowl with cereal and adding milk.

"She was uncertain. Not having used any real power most of her life, she doesn't know if she can do what we need her to but did agree to go out with me to the desert two weeks from now. That will be when her energy builds up enough to do this, so we're not going to dump it until after experimenting first," Chance said, grinning.

"Alright! While you do that, I'll keep making new weapons," Jake said pleased with the outcome. He walked to the table and took a seat, beginning to eat his breakfast. After a long moment of silence, he realized Chance was eyeing him thoughtfully.

"What's on your mind, buddy?"

"On my way home tonight, I realized there was one more thing we should do if and when Ulera is ready to be a weapon," Chance said slowly.

Eyebrows raising, Jake asked, "Oh, what thing is that?"

"While her Enforcers attack the enemy head on, I think a small attack force consisting of us, Ulera and one of her Special Forces Teams should drop in on the bad guys from behind. We should try to take out the leaders to end this thing faster."

Jake sat back and stared at his friend in surprise. "I could kick myself for not thinking of that. It's a great idea. When will you bring it up to Ulera?"

"Only after she can prove she can use her power as a weapon otherwise we are going to have to come up with something else and frankly, I have no clue what that would be" Chance shook his head.

"Don't borrow trouble, Chance. We've already planned as well as we can at this point. Let's see how she does before we worry about figuring something else out," Jake cautioned.

"I agree. So, let's get to work, shall we? Those cars aren't going to get done by themselves," Chance said, getting up and placing his cup in the sink then heading downstairs to the garage. Jake sighed, did the same with his cereal bowl and followed his partner to start the work day.


	10. Chapter 10

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 10: Learning to be a true Sabaren**

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea" T-Bone thought and winced as yet another group of targets and a small hill turned to ash. Twenty-five feet in front of him, Ulera's shoulders slumped in angry frustration that contradicted what her facial expression had shown when she was using her energy. As the power flowed through her, a look of extreme pleasure and joy shone like the sun. Which didn't make sense to him.

He had brought her out to the desert as they'd planned. From the first, it was obvious she had no real idea how to focus her power at all, so when she raised her paws and pointed, all she succeeded in doing was blasting away half the landscape much to his open-mouthed amazement.

"Well there's no doubt you're powerful, Ulera, so that question's answered. You just have to learn to focus and force it under your control," he'd said at the time.

Unfortunately, that apparently was harder to accomplish than it looked. After more than four hours of trying to get her energy under some kind of control, she was even madder and more frustrated than when she'd started.

He had kept his distance while she did her thing but even from where he stood he could feel how powerful she was and he wasn't certain she'd even reached her max yet. That thought alone nearly blew his mind and rather intimidated him. She really needed to get this awesome force under control, but they weren't getting any closer to doing that and he had no idea why. Shaking his head, he walked up to her and placed commiserating paws on her shoulders and began to knead away the tension he felt there.

"Come on Ulera, don't beat yourself up. Certainly we didn't think it would be easy the first time out. So let's analyze what's going on. Tell me what it feels like when you let the energy pour through you like that? Your expression seems to say it feels good...," T-Bone coaxed.

Sighing, she shook out her arms which were getting tired and stiff, his comforting touch on her shoulders made her feel a little better. "It's an exhilarating sensation which is why it's so hard to hold back. Having never been allowed to build a charge strong enough to know what it feels like I have no way of knowing how to handle it nor will to want to. It just feels that good!" she tried to explain. Her face scrunched up in disgust and annoyance.

T-Bone shook her shoulders a little. "You stop that! You have more will power than anyone I know. That's not the problem," he said sternly. "I know I can't possibly understand how this feels to you. But since there isn't any expert around to help us, we'll just have to fumble around for the answers ourselves by experimenting," he said firmly. Staring around at the blasted landscaping, he tried to think what they should do now.

Suddenly a thought struck him. "You know, maybe we're going about this the wrong way. A kitten learns by just doing what comes naturally to it. From what you've told me of your early life, I suspect you weren't allowed to just play with your energy, depriving you of any learning experiences."

"Yes I was...as soon as I displayed my powers my father began to punish me if I used them for anything but simple stuff. I was never allowed to experiment much at all," Feral confirmed.

"Then there's our answer. I want you to come out here everyday and just be a kitten again. Play, use your powers any way you want, experiment and just get comfortable using it as you should have in the first place. To me that's the only way you'll know what you're capable of then we can work on fine tuning it as a weapon. Make sense to you?"

Ulera gave him a considering look. "Maybe you're right. I certainly don't have any other ideas so we'll go with yours and see how that works. Getting away is going to be tough but I'll make the time especially since I love how great it feels to use it. I just hope there's enough time for me to learn this."

"Don't worry about that it will only distract you. We just keep going until we do run out of time. Razor and I are still cruising the mountains searching for them and there's been no sign of them stirring so concentrate on you right now," T-Bone scolded her lightly.

"Yea, I know..." she grumbled, knowing he was right. They were just as frustrated not finding where Dark Kat was holed up so she couldn't complain. Sighing, she said, after a moments thought, "I don't think you should be with me during this training period. I don't want to have to worry about striking you by accident. Don't know if doing this will cause me to build too much and need dumping more often. Guess we'll find out soon enough."

"I'll be available if you need me, don't worry. Just give me a call early enough in the evenings to let me know not to go on patrol that night. We've been going out most every night to search. So, you want to continue or go home?"

"No, I think that's it for today. We did learn something at least...I am more powerful than we ever dreamed but it won't matter if I don't get control of it so let's get out of here," she sighed, turning around and heading for the cyclotron. "By the way, how much terrain have you guys covered," she asked over her shoulder.

"About a third of the range so far," T-Bone grunted as he climbed aboard the bike.

And still no sign of the omegas, she thought, sighing. Hope she still had enough time before the guys hit the jackpot. Getting on behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and soon they were speeding back across the desert toward the city.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Two hours later, after helping dump Ulera's energy, T-Bone arrived home. Stripping off his G-suit and tossing it in the laundry basket, he pulled on a pair of jeans and T-shirt, leaving his feet bare. Shutting off the lights, he climbed up the ladder through the garage then up the stairs to the apartment.

The two of them had put in some five hours in the garage working on cars before Chance had gone off to meet Ulera. It was after nine now, close to bedtime. He dropped down on the couch beside Jake who was slumped on the sofa, eyes half-slitted as he watched David Litterbin on the TV. He looked over to his friend who was laying his head back on the couch and staring at the ceiling.

"Well? How'd it go?"

"She's a real powerhouse! The energy just pours out of her in a wall of destructive force. What that bastard denied her really pisses me off but at least she isn't being held back any longer. Anyway, her main problem right now is it feels too good to control, her words not mine. So I suggested she just go out everyday and use it any way she wants to until she's gotten comfortable with how it flows through her then we can try for control." He sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm going on the premise that as a kitten she was never allowed to do things naturally which she confirmed. I just hope it's the right advice."

Jake listened then stared off in the distance for a moment. Looking back at his partner he said, "It sounds right to me, buddy. If she was never allowed to use her energy to its maximum, she would never have learned how it would feel nor how to use it. Allowing her to just play around with it as a kitten would makes perfect sense to me. But because she's an adult, she'll understand it sooner and hopefully, control it more quickly. Don't second guess yourself and be satisfied that you have advised her the best you could," Jake reassured his friend. It was great news to learn she was powerful. He just hope there was time for her to gain control of her abilities before the omegas launched their attack.

"Thanks, I guess I needed to hear that. Well, I'm off to bed, I'm bushed. You coming?"

"Yea..." Jake flicked off the TV and followed his partner to bed.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Over the next week, Feral made a point of getting out to the desert. It was hard as there was so much to do at her job to prepare for an attack but as she was now part of the arsenal, she couldn't slack off getting into fighting shape.

She just wished she knew what the hell she was doing.

For the first time in her life she had the freedom to just allow her energy to flow outward and grow as she wanted and needed it too. It made her feel more alive. She didn't know how sickly she was until she began pulling in massive quantities of energy and began to feel more healthy. For the first time in her life, she felt comfortable in her own skin.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

A week into her practice sessions, she reported for therapy with Dr. Genzer. She told the doctor what she was trying to accomplish.

"I believe T-Bone is on the right track, Ulera. Kittens do a lot of learning during their formative years and you were prevented that necessary training. I can tell by looking at you, that using your energy at its fullest level has significantly lightened your emotions and made you look more radiant. That alone proves you're doing the right thing. However, I strongly urge you to go see Dr. Konway as soon as possible."

"What? Why?" Feral asked, confused.

"Because he will need to update your health records and see how much it differs from your initial one. This will also give him an idea how your energy works now that you're using it and should be able to measure your progress. That will be very useful for you as you reach whatever level you're going to reach when you've finished your training," Genzer explained patiently.

"Oh...I never thought of that. Good idea, I'll see him when I get back to the office. If he can measure how well I'm doing I won't be wasting precious time ...something we don't have right now. I need to be trained as quickly as possible. But even if he can't measure it, I'll just continue getting a feel for it on my own."

"Good plan. Now shall we talk about how you're doing in other areas?" Dr. Genzer asked, getting them into therapy mode.

Feral grimaced but nodded.

"How are you and T-Bone doing?"

"We're fine. I'm very comfortable with him, he listens to me when we talk shop and the sex is wonderful."

Genzer smiled at the last comment but raised her eyebrows in concern about the first part. "Isn't that crossing the line between Enforcers and vigilantes?"

Feral felt her face burn with embarrassment. "Well, yes but I've learned he cares a great deal for the city's welfare and he and his partner have become an integral part to the plan to protect the city in an upcoming mission."

The doctor frowned. "But they are outside the law, or so you've told me. What's different now?"

"Ahh...well...the reason is secret so as not to cause a panic. The Mayor and I disagree on that, as I feel we should already be at DEFCON 1 not DEFCON 3. I'm afraid I'm not able to tell you why at this time. Suffice it to say, we need every able bodied and skilled fighter out there, including a pair of vigilantes and my own special abilities for the fight that's coming," Feral said, carefully.

Genzer felt her heart sink. To go to such a high alert status meant the danger had to be grave and had to do with the omegas. "I see, then I'm very glad the SWAT Kats have gained your trust and that T-Bone has been able to guide you the best he can. Has this helped you allow males to be closer?"

Feral nodded, a look of relief on her face. "Nearly, yes. I can now let my doctors, my assistant, and my squadron commanders get closer without problems but outside of them, well...I do still have nervous butterflies but the reaction is getting weaker all the time."

"That's excellent progress," her doctor said, making notes in Feral's file. "On a different subject, have the nightmares lessened any?"

"Somewhat...at least they aren't every night and their hold is growing weaker. The good news is they never come when T-Bone is with me." Though some nights she still would wake screaming and bathed in sweat but thankfully those were becoming fewer.

"That's very good news," Genzer said, smiling warmly. She went on to ask a few more questions and allowed Feral to just talk about how things were going with her in general before closing the session on a high note.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

When her session was over, Feral hurried back to headquarters and made for Dr. Konway's office in the Bio Tech Labs. She was in luck, he wasn't actively involved with a project at the moment.

"Commander, is something wrong?" the affable red furred tom asked, standing to greet his superior.

"No, actually, I'm here for advice and because Dr. Genzer feels a new baseline should be done on me. For the past week I've been experimenting and utilizing my energy...getting a feel for how it works and moves through my body. She said I look much healthier and attributed it to my full use of energy. She felt you should retest me and see how different the reading is from the baseline you did before. We're hoping you can help establish a way to measure it so we can see how well and how much I'm progressing."

Staring closely at Feral, Konway nodded. "I must admit, sir, you do look much better than when I first tested you. It's certainly time to do it again anyway. And we should get a reading that definitely shows you're not a Kat this time. Your powers were so weak it barely registered as abnormal on our Kat scale. I'm glad to hear you're experimenting. How is that working out?" He asked, going to a locked file cabinet, unlocking it and pulling out a file then closing the cabinet and securing it before returning to his desk.

She explained what she'd been doing, how it felt when using her energy, her difficulties in trying to control it, and the SWAT Kat's suggestion to solve it. Konway nodded his head and made notes in the Feral's file.

"I see. T-Bone's approach is sound and it looks like it's paying off, sir. Let's go to my private lab and conduct the tests." He stood up, file in paw, and came around his desk to lead the way out of his office, pausing to speak to one of his lab assistants first.

"I am not to be disturbed for any reason nor is Commander Feral unless there is an omega attack. Even then don't knock, call me on my cell, understood?"

"Yes sir," the assistant said, his expression alive with curiosity.

Satisfied, Konway continued on down the hall to a secured lab. Using his pawprint on the plate beside the door, it caused it to open with a soft whoosh. The two stepped through, the door closing tightly and securely behind them

Two hours later, Konway had finished his tests. Sitting on a stool near a lab table, he wrote up his notes while Feral got redressed. The first time he'd seen Feral after her ordeal, he'd been appalled to learn what she'd endured and was shocked to find out he was a she and a member of a deadly and thought to be extinct race. But her story pulled at his heartstrings and he easily forgot just how dangerous she was supposed to be. His focus became exclusively on helping her get well again.

However, despite his desire to help her, their first interaction had been tense and uneasy due to her fear of males so he carefully did his tests without touching her, allowing a trusted female assistant do any paws on tests under his guidance. Gradually, as he saw her more frequently and took over more of her care in regards to her energy use, she came to trust him, allowing him into her personal space making it easier for them to maintain security about her uniqueness.

Since he wasn't a doctor of medicine but of biology, he had to use the information collected on her at the Kanler Center, the skilled doctors there had done a thorough workup and had sent a copy of the report to him and to Dr. Mewser, Chief Medical Officer of the Enforcers. Mewser had the same problems with Feral at first but he too was now able to get close enough to conduct any medical tests and treatments without anyone else in the room to buffer between himself and Feral.

So her care was divided: medical by Dr. Mewser, her energy powers by Dr. Konway, and her emotional issues with Dr. Genzer. Feral interrupted his thoughts by coming to stand beside him.

"Well?"

"When I first used the Life-Energy Field Meter your body barely registered as slightly above normal for a Kat but now, you definitely register as your own species. Amazingly, your energy is high enough to register with the same levels used by the as high as the Mega-Beam Laser."

"You mean the one they sent into space?" Feral gasped.

"The very same. And I have a suspicion you still haven't reached your full potential. Between your earlier tests and these, it clearly shows you had been systematically starved your whole life. Not only food but energy and it will take some time for you to fully recover from such long term abuse. Today's test results clearly show you have put on an appreciable and healthy amount of 'energy' weight. Which is good news."

"That's great news."

"As for gaining control of your abilities, I agree with T-Bone's guess and suggested solution. However, there is one more thing I'll add to that prescription. When you've gotten totally comfortable with your energy, I want you to start paying closer attention to just how your power flows through and leaves your body. Somewhere in there, I think you may pin down the precise moment when you can grab the reins and force it to obey you. Does that make sense?" Konway asked.

Feral had been frowning in deep concentration as the doctor talked but her expression cleared a moment later as she nodded her head. "I think so. Won't know until I try though. Thanks, I now have a better gauge for how I'm doing," she smiled.

Konway smiled back. "Glad I could help, sir. I will need you to return for retesting in another week to see how you're doing and I recommend you see Dr. Mewser so he can update your medical file. Even though I can visually tell you're looking much better, hard facts are required not guesses."

Feral rolled her eyes and sighed. "I hate being examined but you're right. I'll get that done soon."

Konway nodded. Despite learning she was a totally different creature, he knew it hadn't changed her dislike for medical prodding. He didn't envy Mewser trying to get her in for her normal physical let alone this temporary new requirement for monitoring her return to health. Fortunately, on this occasion only, Feral was much more cooperative apparently realizing they were only trying to get to her better and to see her happy.

"Well, if we're done here, I need to get back to work," she said.

"We are, sir," Konway assured her, getting to his feet with her file in his paw.

Feral flashed him a smile that no one but a few ever saw on her face, then waited for Konway to release the door so she could leave.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Once she was back in her office she called down to the Medical Center for an appointment and got one for Monday. She may have once hated being examined for any reason because it would have revealed what she was but now, she suffered it because she knew they all cared about her and that was an incredibly wonderful sensation she never thought she'd experience in her life.

She worked hard over the weekend and by the time she saw Dr. Mewser that Monday, she was enjoying playing with her energy. She sighed and stared hard at the ceiling of the examine room while Dr. Mewser briskly performed a complete workup on her.

As a final step, she was placed in a Metabolic Chamber to determine her energy expenditure and recovery. The only thing not done was X-rays because her energy was far too high and would cloud the films. Finally, she was done and was getting dressed while Mewser returned to his office and wrote up his notes.

When she joined him, she took a seat in a comfortable stuffed chair before the medium sized wood desk that was stacked with reports, a computer, roll-a-dex, and picture of Mewser's family.

Mewser's normally austere face had relaxed into one of warmth and pleasure. "The news is good, Commander. You've gained a more healthy weight since your confinement, the Metabolic test indicates you're much healthier than when you first joined the Enforcers. I'm certain your blood tests are going to corroborate that as well. Whatever you're doing, keep it up."

Feral's smile was rather shy in return but he could see she was definitely pleased. "Thank you. I do feel much better. Now if only I can get control of my energy, life will be what I hoped it could be. And once the omegas are gone, the city will be at peace too."

"I truly hope that happens, Commander. This city and the Enforcers need a break from this unhealthy constant state of alert. So, unless you have any questions, sir, you're free to leave."

"Thank you. I do have work waiting." She smiled, got to her feet and left.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

After another week of just allowing her power to go anywhere, she finally attempted what Dr. Konway had suggested. Facing some of the targets Razor had set up for her, she tried to focus more on the mechanics of how her body worked.

At first her energy still sprayed all over the place. "Dammit! There just has to be a way this is done," she cursed in annoyance. Thinking a moment, she tried something else.

Holding only one paw out, she pictured a solid line of light heading toward that paw and outward toward the target. As she built her energy up, for the first time, she actually could feel a hot line of energy go in the direction she wanted and fire straight through her clenched paw and blast the target she had aimed for.

"Yes!" She leaped in the air and cheered. Now having figured out how to make her energy do what she wanted she spent several hours perfecting it so that it was second nature and took very little thought on her part to take out any target she desired with perfect accuracy and the right amount of power. It wouldn't do for her to take out a target then anything else past it.

Exhausted and triumphant, Feral finally called it a day when dusk was falling and made for home. A quick call on her way to her apartment meant a certain tom would be waiting for her to help dump her energy.

Entering her apartment, she found him leaning against the couch waiting for her.

"So, how did it go?" he asked, eyeing her critically. She was sweaty, tired, but there was an air of pleased excitement about her.

"I succeeded! I can control my energy both the intensity and its accuracy," she said giddily.

He stepped forward and swept her into a joyful hug, whirling her around in a quick circle. "Fantastic! I'm soo proud of you!" He cheered then kissed her soundly. "How about you take a shower and I fix you a high protein snack, hmm?"

"That sounds heavenly, thank you." Smiling happily, Ulera went off to her bedroom to wash the day's grime off. She realized with a blush she hid from him, that she'd almost added 'love' to her comment.

She didn't know how he felt truly about her though she was certain he did care. It had taken her a bit of time to stop thinking he was just doing this for her as a part of her care. It was becoming obvious even to her naive eyes that he liked her a lot and enjoyed doing things for her like making a meal, taking a shower together, making love, cuddling, or just talking. But she had no idea how to move forward or if they should. They were on the opposite sides of the law but her heart didn't care.

Sighing, she left off the deep thinking and just enjoyed the hot water cleaning her fur, thanked him for the meal he had prepared, and slipped away into blissful sleep after some intense but satisfying sex cuddled close to his powerful body.


	11. Chapter 11

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**CHAPTER 11: Preparing for War**

The next morning, feeling loose and ready for nearly anything, Feral walked into her office and was surprised to see Police Commissioner Henderfield waiting for her. Frowning, she approached the brawny brown striped tom who was staring out at the city through one of the huge panes of glass that covered one wall of her office.

"Good morning and what brings you to see me?" She asked without preamble.

A grim face turned toward her. "Commander, we've been following a case we got from an illegal munitions supplier who got cold feet. He'd been asked to supply a large number of special munitions from a gang known as the Devil's Fang. Normally, nothing spooks these gun runners but it was what was ordered and the quantity that made this guy back out of the deal. To keep from being rubbed out by whoever wanted the munitions, which he knew wasn't for the gang, he spilled the beans to one of my officers so he could be taken into protective custody."

Feral's eyebrows rose in surprise. Henderfield nodded. "Yea, real unusual for such a hard core supplier to just hand themselves over like that. When we questioned him, he was reluctant to give us more than the list of items but finally confessed to the name of the gang and who he suspected actually ordered the munitions," He stopped to pull something out of the folder he was holding. "You're not going to like what you see on this, Commander."

Feral took the sheet and skimmed down it. Only halfway down the list, she hissed in angry shock. Jerking her head up, she stared questioningly at Henderfield. He nodded grimly.

"Scary huh? Certainly confirms what you briefed us about, doesn't it?"

"Yes it does but I didn't think he would go so far as to actually use a nuclear device, so now we know just how serious he is. With this evidence, I can now push for DEFCON 2."

Henderfield nodded. "Honestly, sir, I was a bit skeptical when you first mentioned this but that list..." he pointed at the sheet in Feral's paw, "...has convinced me we're in serious trouble and that a higher DEFCON is definitely indicated."

"Doesn't really make me feel better to be right, though," Feral growled. "Do you have the gang and the supplier in custody?"

Grinning wolfishly Henderfield nodded. "Yes, I do. I sort of lost them in the system for a bit...I admit to running roughshod over their civil rights but I felt we couldn't risk losing them or having them assassinated before we could corroborate their testimonies."

"I won't tell if you don't," Feral smiled coldly. "Keep them on ice and house them somewhere no one will think to find them for now."

"Good idea." The Police Commissioner nodded agreement.

"Since you said the supplier got cold feet, does that mean the gang still has the money from the buyer?"

"Yes and now I have it. The gang attempted to try other suppliers but no one deals in what this supplier does. So they freaked and tried to pull a smoke to escape the buyer's revenge. When we caught them they were nearly across the border. They were so scared they were actually glad to be in custody. There isn't much out there that could spook this gang and that sent alarms through me besides what was on that list. So I'm not surprised it's Dark Kat. Makes sense now. Anyway, we squeezed the leader about how the money was raised. It isn't pretty. The funds were obtained from brothels where they forced young females around the ages of 16-19, they'd kidnapped, to prostitute themselves. Any extra is being funneled back to Dark Kat's coffers."

A look of fury passed through Feral's eyes. So Dark Kat had stooped to using kittens to further his plans. The bastard. In a cold, angry voice she asked, "Did you find out where these brothels are?" she demanded.

"We got some of the locations and raided a few. I have plans to go after more today. We're trying to track down the head cheese whose handling this operation. Let you know when we do."

"Good! Send me everything you have on the case and keep me updated. As for the supplier, I want to question him. Where do you have him?" Feral asked, walking to her desk to write down the information. Henderfield gave it to her.

"Here's what I have so far, sir," Henderfield said, handing over the file he'd been holding. "Be in touch!" he said then left Feral alone in her office.

Feral summoned her secretary and when she appeared, gave her orders to contact all squadron leaders, Steele, and Fallon to report for an immediate meeting in her conference room. She wrote down the orders, nodded, and hurried off to carry them out. Feral paused a moment in thought then pulled out her special communicator T-Bone had given her. Pressing the button, she waited for a response.

At the Megakat Salvage Yard, in Jake and Chance's Garage, the two mechanics were working busily when Chance's comm buzzed in his pocket. Frowning in surprise, he wiped his paws off then pulled out the comm, hitting the button.

"What's up?"

"T-Bone, I need you and Razor to come to my office ASAP. I'll leave clearance for you. I've just received new information on Dark Kat and want to brief everyone at the same time," she said quickly.

"You don't think your officers won't be a bit upset by us being there?" he asked.

"Oh they'll not like it I'm sure but once I tell them what I found out they'll forget about that. Now hurry up and get here." She cut the connection and reached for her phone.

"Ms. Briggs please, it's urgent," she said to the secretary.

Moments later a familiar voice came on the line. "What is it Commander?"

"New information on Dark Kat's plans. Come over to my office immediately. I'm holding a council of war and the SWAT Kats are included."

"The SWAT Kats? Are you crazy?"

"They're needed, trust me. Just hurry over here," Feral urged her.

"Alright, I'll drag his honor over as well. Be there shortly," Callie said, then hung up.

Sighing Feral waited for everyone to arrive. Time to plan for war it seemed. It was no longer a suspicion now. The only thing they didn't know was when.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The meeting was a grim affair. After the initial outrage over the SWAT Kats attending and the Mayor's angry demands for answers were quieted by a steely look from Feral; she got down to business. Briefing them on the news Henderfield had brought to her caused an immediate burst of angry exclamations.

T-Bone's gruff voice cut through the noise and silenced everyone. "So it's like we thought. The omegas are planning a major offensive against the city."

"Yes, all the evidence points to that for certain. Now that we've managed to cut off Dark Kat's supply line, he may attempt to try and get the nuclear device another way."

"It's possible Turmoil may help him do that. She does have access to some fairly high tech hardware. Whoever her supplier is may be able to acquire what DK still needs," T-Bone said thoughtfully, his face grim.

Feral scowled in dismay. "I never thought of that and you may be right. We can only hope it will take time for her to do it, that's if she's willing to help him at all. We simply won't know, I guess. Anyway, the purpose of this meeting is to move our alert status to DEFCON 2 immediately."

Manx looked like he was going to object but Callie jumped in before he could say a word. "I agree, the evidence plainly shows we are out of time. I'm just glad you were already at DEFCON 3. How long will it take you to be at 2, Commander?" She asked.

Feral glanced at her officers for an answer. Colonel Renfur gruffly responded, "Less than twenty-four hours, ma'am."

"Aren't we moving a bit too fast here?" Mayor Manx asked, hesitantly.

All faces stared at him in angry disbelief. He swallowed and backed off quickly. "Uhm...I guess not. What do you want me to do?" He asked, his shoulders slumped in resignation.

"Simply brief the city council that we're at DEFCON 2, Mayor, and to follow the defense plan for keeping the public prepared and safe," Callie told him.

"If it makes you feel any better Mayor Manx, Razor and I have been searching the mountains north of here trying to locate Dark Kat's lair. It would be better if we could take the war to them instead of allowing them to come here," T-Bone told them.

"We've already searched more than half the areas we think they might be holed up; caves and old volcanoes are his favorite hideouts. I have a device that penetrates rock and allows us to peer into these places. We've been searching an area a night but with the chances of DK appearing sooner, we'll step that up and cover the rest of the mountain range by the end of the week. We'll find them, don't worry," Razor chimed in.

"But what if they aren't in the mountains?" Steele objected.

Razor shook his head. "It's too large a group. That list shows far too many weapons which means a large army, and there's Turmoil's army as well to consider. Such an operation requires a very large staging area and a hidden one at that. That's why the abandoned airfield northeast of the city wouldn't work, but just to be sure, we did check it out...negative. So that only leaves the mountains."

"A reasonable assumption, SWAT Kat but I don't think we should rule out warehouses, underground areas, and abandoned government facilities automatically," Colonel Renfur interjected. "The Enforcers can do a check of those places. But I hope he's not here in the city but in the mountains like you think. Your idea of taking the battle to him is a sound one and will keep civilians from being harmed."

"Yea, that's our hope too and I don't blame you for wanting to check every possibility. It certainly can't hurt," Razor agreed.

Manx looked worried and only a little relieved and since he felt too much of his authority had been taken away by those here, he gave orders that only echoed what had been said but giving it the authority of the city government behind it. "Then I say, have the Enforcers search the city, thoroughly, and you, SWAT Kats continue your search of the mountains. I too hope they're found in the mountains so the public won't be involved at all."

Feral didn't object to the Mayor asserting his authority and backed up the orders he gave with more pertinent ones of her own. With their plans in place, the meeting broke up. Callie gave her an approving nod as she herded the Mayor away as they had to go brief the city council now. Feral didn't envy her that hassle. When everyone was gone, she returned to her own office and was surprised to see the SWAT Kats waiting for her. She eyed them questioningly as she sat down at her desk.

"Now that you've managed to figure out how to control your energies, I've thought of something we should do when we find those bastards," T-Bone began.

"What would that be?" she asked.

"When we engage the enemy, allow your troops to attack at the front door while you, us, and a black ops team sneak in the rear and try to take out the omegas, effectively cutting off the head of the army," T-Bone explained.

She eyed him in surprise. "That's a great idea and one that should work, ending the war faster with less casualties. I like it. I'll get my best team briefed and ready for your call while you continue your search. I just hope I'm ready. You noticed I didn't say anything about controlling my energy powers and using them in this effort?"

"Yes, and I thought it a good idea keeping it secret at least for now. However, this black ops team needs to train with us and you. Your energy powers are such that we plain Kats need to know how to fight with you and not get hurt or get in your way," Razor said seriously.

"Oh, I never thought about that. But I'm still learning to use my energy like a weapon. I don't think I could train with anyone yet," she said uncertainly.

"I know you're still green at this but it's obvious we're running out of time. I suggested you work hard this week and by the weekend be ready to work with your ops team and us. I'm sorry Ulera but we have to move quickly now," T-Bone said, sorry to be pushing her.

She frowned, turning her eyes to stare at a far wall a moment then sighed and looked back at them again. "Agreed. We really don't have time so I'll do my best. Meet you in the desert around 10 am, Saturday, okay?"

"Works for us. We'll see you then. Meanwhile we'll keep hunting for those bastards," T-Bone said. "So we're off. Since we're out already, we'll go do a quick pass over an area we had planned for tonight." The two waved then left quickly.

Feral got up and went to a nearby window. Only minutes later, she saw the Turbokat rise from the flight line then shoot away to the north. Sighing, she thought, where were our enemies hiding? Would we find them before their plans reached fruition? She felt a grim foreboding as she returned to her desk and began sifting through her files for the perfect team.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Saturday morning an odd group of fighters gathered far into the desert. This would be the first time T-Bone and Razor got to see Ulera use her energy in a controlled manner. But the black ops team were totally confused as to why they were there in the first place, that is, until she began to show them what she could do.

Razor had set up new targets, some stationary, some triggered by him. The males stood to one side and far enough back for their safety while Feral stood some fifty feet from the first set of targets. She was dressed simply in a plain flight suit and boots, the arms of the suit were pushed up past her elbows.

At first, she seemed to just stand there but then her body began to glow. It didn't grow very bright before she raised one fist and pointed at one of the targets. A bolt of light shot from her fingers and vaporized the target in less than a second. If they hadn't been watching closely, they might have missed it. The black ops team could only gape in stunned amazement while T-Bone and Razor cheered her.

"Woohoo! Right on! Light em up, Feral!" Razor shouted.

Flashing a smile over her shoulder, Ulera faced the targets and in quick succession destroyed them all then making a high sign, she signaled Razor to set off the flying targets. She had always been an accurate sharpshooter but aiming with her fingers rather than a weapon was a different thing altogether. The first four targets she missed but by the next ones, she'd gotten the hang of it and destroyed them easily.

After that, they began some battle simulations using remote tanks and choppers. It was a bit awkward avoiding her bolts at first but soon they were all working smoothly as a team. They kept working at it taking few breaks before everyone felt comfortable working together. Dusk was falling when they called an end to the training. Since they were all expert level fighters, no further training was required and they all departed their separate ways.

When Feral got home there was her lover waiting. He was smiling warmly in greeting. "Excellent work, I'm truly proud of you, Ulera."

"Thank you, I feel incredible and can hardly wait to find those threats to our city's peace and crush them permanently," she growled, a bit of blood thirstiness in her eyes.

"With you on our side we'll kick their tails," he agreed, grinning then pulled her into a tight hug. "Let's dump your energy now, hmm."

"Good idea," she purred, pulling his head close for a passionate kiss.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Two days after her training session in the desert, Feral received a call from the police about a sting operation they planned on executing the next day and would she like to come along.

Commissioner Henderfield's people had finally located the leader who ran the slave ring that included the kidnaped teens being used for Dark Kats fund raising. They'd learned the tom had a huge party planned at a mansion located in the more affluent part of the city.

She immediately agreed because she was eager to stop what amounted to trafficking of females into slavery as they'd learned none of the kidnaped teens were ever released; their fate was usually being shipped to other countries, owned by sex clubs or dying. Catching this bastard was going to be a pleasure. She was given the time and address of the sting. It was to be at two in the morning when everyone inside would be either drunk and/or asleep and when security would be a little lax.

At dawn with her assistant, Sgt. Fallon, Feral was standing in the cool morning air trying to keep from yawning. The head of the operation briefed everyone on what they were to do once they'd gotten inside the imposing mansion at whose gate they stood some twenty feet from. A high hedge with a spiked, black, wrought iron fence against it, surrounded the grounds. The house itself was a Tudor style with a fancy drive inside the fence that was a loop around a huge dolphin fountain at its center.

The plan was to short out the gate, run in and take out security quickly then go inside. Then a group of 10 officers would charge up to the second level immediately while a second group of 10 would charge forward and cover the first floor. A third group of only six would go down to the basement. The head honcho they were looking for was reported to be on the second floor in a master suite at the rear of the house. Feral would go with the second floor group.

The signal was given and the large group of cops surged forward as soon as the gate was opened. They ran across the grounds to the front door on silent, swift feet. Several spreading out to quickly disable the security guards on the grounds. The sound of laser fire and shouts of "Police, put down your arms", was heard. At the door, a lockpick skilled officer got the heavy locked door open in less than ten seconds.

The door was opened carefully. No one was in view as they poured inside the huge foyer with a chandelier dripping with crystals hanging overhead. It was quiet that is until the internal security came surging in from all directions. The cops identified themselves and all but a few thugs dropped their weapons and raised their paws. The ones that didn't shot off rounds of bullets from old fashioned weapons filling the air with noise, shouts and curses.

Feral's group had gone straight up the stairs that were left of the entryway. The stairs were broad and covered in a deep carpeting of green with some kind of brown pattern in it. This floor had many doors along it some of which had burst open when the noise downstairs and outside began. Cops quickly dealt with the scantily clad screaming and crying females as Feral's small group consisting of the team leader, Sgt Fallon and herself, raced to reach the door where the leader was thought to be. Charging in they were greeted by a stomach churning sight.

In the huge master suite, a king size bed was some twenty feet from the door. On it was a young calico female, looking to be no more than 16, on her knees and paws at the edge of the bed and nude. She was crying and obviously too afraid to disobey the hulking male standing behind her holding a whip. The male wore leather leggings, a vest of the same material, a black mask and was bare chested and barefooted. The bloody marks on her body clearly showed the whip had been used on her several times. The male turned toward the suddenly opening door in surprise then anger. He tossed the whip and charged them.

Furious, the team leader and Fallon met his charge and ended up in a tangle on the floor as they wrestled with the powerful male. The young female screamed in fright and tried to make herself smaller on the bed. On the other side of the bed, a hefty black and white striped male who had been sitting in a well padded chair watching the show before him, jumped to his feet in angry alarm.

He held a cut crystal glass full of bourbon in his right paw, a huge diamond ring graced a finger of his left paw, a cigar hung from his mouth and he was wearing nothing but a blue silk robe, his nudeness peeking through it with each movement he made. He shouted at them but was ignored as the two officers rolled on the floor trying to restrain the powerhouse.

Meanwhile Feral had frozen just inside the door when she'd seen the young female on the bed, the blood, the hulking male looming over her, the whip, then flinched when the teen began to scream in terror. The images flashed her back to another scene where it was she who held a submissive pose and another male with a leering face, a cut throat pouring out blood, was looming over her. Eyes wide with remembered terror, she heaved for breath and screamed.


	12. Chapter 12

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**Chapter 12: Haunted by Old Memories**

The scream was eerie and loud, drowning out every other sound in the room. All the males jolted in shock, freezing in place. Fallon and the team leader, Lt. Bryson, jerked their heads around to stare, their prisoner also gaping over their shoulders at the scary sight. Releasing the big male, Fallon rolled off him and jumped to his feet but Bryson remained frozen in place.

Near him, the young teen shrieked in terror and dove beneath the covers of the bed trying desperately to hide from this new horror in her life. The head honcho dropped his drink and cigar, his eyes goggling at the terrifying image crouching and screaming near the exit of the room.

Feral didn't remotely look like a Kat right then. A creature wearing an Enforcer uniform stood hunched in a defensive posture; long talons extended, eyes glowing a molten gold (contacts still in place fortunately or the witnesses would have be even more freaked out by her tri-colored eyes); unusually long sharp fangs were exposed as she screamed...a hoarse bellowing that sounded nothing like anyone had heard before; and the scariest thing of all...her body glowed like a miniature sun.

Fallon's heart was in his throat and fear sweat sprang out all over his body as he stared at his superior. Her expression was one of extreme terror and fury. Any wrong move could make her use her formidable energy to vaporize them all, he was certain. Terror nearly made him reach for his weapon but knew that would be a fatal thing to do. He had to bring her back...he was the only one who could and there was no time to get the SWAT Kat either.

Already, other cops, hearing the eerie cry, were converging on this room. He had to bring her back now. Grabbing his courage with both paws, Fallon carefully and slowly walked closer to Feral. He realized, in relief, she wasn't seeing him at all, her glassy, far away, staring eyes were fixed on the one who had made her life hell, which meant he could get as close as he needed to without harm.

Deciding a little over an arms length away was close enough, he began calling to her in a gentle, urgent voice. She never stopped screaming, one after the other the sound rolled out of her with barely a breath taken between. It was deafening, causing him to flatten his ears in self-defense.

"Commander Feral...Commander Feral...it's me, Sgt Fallon! What you're seeing isn't real...your mate is dead...he's dead! Come back, sir! You're safe!" He repeated himself several times but still she kept screaming, her expression wild and dangerous.

Sounds of approaching officers in the hall and the queries of the officer behind him made him realize he was out of time. Swallowing his fear, he leaned forward and touched her arm, calling her name the entire time, but never once did he call her Ulera, the name her mate used.

"Commander Feral, it's alright. It's Sgt Fallon, sir. Come back...you have a job to do...come back!"

The touch did do what he hoped but not the way he ever imagined. The scream shut off suddenly but was replaced with a deadly hiss. Faster than the eye could follow, her arm swung out and caught him in the chest, sending him flying to land on his back on the far end of the bed, eliciting another scream from the poor young female.

It was her own violent reaction, his flying body, and the female's scream that finally reached Feral. The terrifying images in her mind shattered to pieces and the real world swam into view leaving her blinking in bewildered confusion for several seconds. She panted and her heart hammered in her chest and ears as she tried to understand what had happened.

Looking around, she saw Sgt Fallon rubbing his chest and climbing off the bed to head for her again. Only then did she realize, she had hit him. Beyond him was a black and white tom in a robe, mouth gaping and eyes bugging out at her, while on the floor at the foot of the bed was Lt. Bryson and a huge male dressed in leather, both laying, gripping each other but staring up at her in fear. Behind her were voices of fellow officers, demanding to know what was going on.

Badly shaken and still confused, Feral quickly retracted her claws, pulled her energy back in, and gave Fallon a desperate, questioning, stare.

All he said was, "Are you alright now, sir?"

"What happened," she whispered, her throat raw, her mind trying to clear the cobwebs.

"You felt threatened and reacted, badly. I'll explain later, sir. Right now, you need to leave the room and cool down. Lt. Bryson and I will take care of this," he murmured softly to her while gently taking her by the arm and pulling her out of the room. The arriving officers stepped back, questions plain on their faces but fortunately, due to Feral's rank, none said anything as Fallon, hiding the paw he used to gently push his Commander in the back, toward the end of the hall then turned back into the room to address the mess she had caused.

Numb and totally embarrassed, Feral did as her assistant ordered and continued down the balcony to a window that the dawn was now shining through. Outside she could see officers escorting prisoner's toward the front of the house. That's when her mind remembered why she was here in the first place.

She retraced her steps to the scene that had led to the hideous flashback. She was relieved that thinking about it didn't cause it replay again. But she realized now what she had done and was mortified. Oh God! What a mess! She moaned, rubbing her face with right paw.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

While Fallon was dealing with his Commander, Lt. Bryson got up from the floor, dragging his prisoner up with him. The big male was docile, the sudden scare taking the fury out of him. He cuffed the male and pulled him to the door just as Fallon returned his attention to them.

"What the hell just went on?" He demanded.

"I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to say more than the Commander suffered some severe mental trauma during his kidnapping and has flashbacks. That was a fright reaction."

"Fright reaction? He changed! No fright reaction I've ever heard of causes super sized fangs and claws to appear on any Kat let alone to glow like a damn light bulb." Bryson snorted, outraged by the lame response.

Fallon's expression remained flat and grim. "I repeat, I'm not at liberty to discuss what happened to Commander Feral. That is classified."

Expressions on the officers surrounding him looked askance. It was Bryson who asked, "Uhm he didn't by chance have a run-in with Dr. Viper...?"

"No," Fallon said sharper than he meant to. In a calmer voice, he went on, "I won't answer any questions. The only thing that matters right now is cleaning up this scene. Someone needs to call a medic for the traumatized female in there and take these prisoners down for transport."

Bryson eyed the Sergeant for a long minute then nodded. "You heard him, Jance, call a medic...you two...take these punks out. That's the leader we came here for back there, cuff him and put him in my car. Let's get hopping!" He barked.

Still curious but obeying their leader's orders, the officers pushed past the two in the door. The leather dressed tom who had fought them went meekly out still shaken by what he'd seen. The slave dealer pulled his robe tight and tied the sash before allowing himself to be handcuffed. His face was confused and angry, still uncertain what had just happened but aware he'd been arrested. The two officers quickly took the two males into custody and hauled them downstairs.

All parties gave the silent back of Commander Feral a curious look as they passed but no one said anything to her as they hurried past. The officer's didn't fail to notice that the two criminals were fearful and very anxious to get away from the silent tom.

Fallon stepped out of the way and watched them leave. A medic raced up passed the descending officers and was pointed to the room where the Sergeant stood.

"Where's the patient," the sandy colored medic asked, briskly. Fallon pointed to the bed and the shaking lump under the blankets.

"She's a very traumatized young female, about sixteen with fresh whip marks on back and buttocks, so handle her gently," he advised the medic.

The tom nodded and went over to the side of the bed and carefully raised the covers, murmuring soft words of comfort and reassurance to the scared face peering out at him. When she realized he wasn't going to hurt her and was there to help, she scurried out from under the covers, ignoring her injuries and begging the tom to get her out of here. Gently he wrapped a blanket around her naked body and helped her leave the room.

Only when they were out of sight, except for himself and Lt. Bryson, he turned and eyed the police lieutenant, wondering why the tom was still here. "Classified, eh?" Bryson snorted, disbelief clear in his manner. "Just tell me this; was what happened as dangerous as my fur standing on end was warning me? I mean, God forbid I should have to work with Commander Feral again, so I want to be clear on this important issue...should I and my officers be concerned?"

Fallon debated what to say but finally decided the officer should at least be aware how close to disaster they'd all been. Forewarned would insure the police gave her a wide berth if she suffered a flashback again. She would be so devastated and destroyed if she harmed the good guys during such an event.

So, despite feeling a bit like a traitor to his superior, he said, "Your instincts were right. If things had gone fubar, none of us would have survived the outcome."

Bryson's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Shit!" He said, taken aback. He was silent a long moment then said. "I wouldn't be you for all the gold in the mint. And don't take this personally, but I hope we never work together again."

"No offense taken. He's really okay and a fierce fighter but this trauma...well it will take a long time for him to overcome it," Fallon said, relieved the lieutenant seemed to be satisfied with his answer.

"Yea, well I don't intend to be around him until he does. Take care of yourself," Bryson said, shaking his head and leaving the Sergeant alone with his weird and dangerous leader.

As he hurried down the stairs and outside, Lt. Bryson thought about that brooding figure he'd just left. Personally, he was very glad not to be an Enforcer and have to deal with whatever Feral was. He had a strong suspicion the big tom wasn't a Kat any longer but some kind of mutant.

His own cops would be plying him with questions but he wasn't going to satisfy their curiosity, not this time. However, he would report the incident to the commissioner. Henderfield needed to know about the danger Feral represented. He'd also let his boss know the Enforcers wanted this hushed up; no gossiping among the troops, no mention of it in any report. He didn't think the commissioner would have a problem with that. After all, it wasn't that unusual in this city where the weird and strange occurred with ridiculous regularity. What was one more?

As for himself, like he told Fallon, he truly hoped he never came near the Chief Enforcer again in this lifetime. Shoving all that aside in his mind, he went about seeing that the slaver gang were all accounted for and on their way to jail.

Back in the mansion, Fallon sighed and shook himself out. When Feral had asked him to be alert for a flashback, he'd thought it would be like a brief fright response and running away that he'd have to cover for. Nothing prepared him for what he'd just had to go through. She was dangerous, more dangerous than even Dark Kat.

He walked up to her where she stood staring out the window. What she'd suffered to have a flashback that terrifying that it made her a deadly threat herself, made him realize he hadn't really believed how badly she'd been treated. No wonder she needed long term psychiatric care.

"Sir, are you okay?" he asked softly.

She turned to face him, her eyes troubled and worried. "By the looks on their faces, I scared them nearly to death," she whispered. "I had so hoped the intensity of those memories would finally be dulled but it was as fresh as if it were only yesterday. I'm sorry for causing such a dangerous situation," she murmured thickly.

"You couldn't help it sir. You did warn me and I did manage to bring you out of it."

She snorted. "Only after I'd apparently smacked you one," she said ruefully.

"I'll live,sir. Isn't the first time I've been swatted, won't be the last." Fallon brushed it off.

Sighing, she asked the most important thing on her mind right now, "will there be trouble from this?"

"No. Lt. Bryson was angry and scared shitless of you but he won't say anything about it when I told him it was classified. I think he believes you might be a mutant or something similar. He'll probably tell the commissioner but I'm certain no one else. We kept the rest in the dark when they showed up but they'd missed the entire thing anyway. As for the prisoners, I doubt they want to sound like lunatics so won't be talking. The female was so traumatized, I doubt she'd even be certain of what she saw as she hid herself early on," Fallon assured her.

Feral huffed out a breath. Relief made her relax somewhat. "Good, thank you for your quick thinking. I deeply appreciate it." Fallon blushed but just nodded. "So did we get the ring leader at least?"

"Yes sir. He's already on his way to booking," Fallon said, promptly.

Feral looked around a moment then straightened her spine and headed for the staircase. "At least he's caught. That's the main thing I wanted to ensure happened. "Let's go face the music, shall we?"

"As you wish, sir." Fallon fell in beside her and they quickly went down and out the front door.

Outside things were organized but noisy as prisoners and victims were still being loaded up. She was surprised they weren't all gone by now then realized it had only been fifteen minutes since the operation began to now. She looked around and located Lt. Bryson speaking to the head of the CSI team that had just arrived.

She walked over to him with Sgt Fallon following closely on her heels. As she crossed the huge portico that was part of the entranceway, some of the officers gave her odd stares and questioning glances but she ignored them all.

It was plainly obvious word had spread that something odd had happened inside but the ones who knew weren't talking. Her very sharp hearing listened to all the whispering going on around her. Waves of relief flowed through her as she realized no one had any idea exactly what had transpired on the second floor...her secret was safe. She just hoped it wouldn't happen again any time soon.

Lt. Bryson was sporting a cut lip that was no longer bleeding and some bruising on his face, she noted. They reached his side just as he finished talking to the CSI guy who took off for the mansion. He turned and eyed Feral warily.

Leaning close and ensuring no one was nearby to overhear, she murmured, "my apologizes for making this a bit more dangerous than it should have been."

"Think nothing of it sir...I certainly won't," Bryson muttered.

She nodded and straightened to her formidable height. "Did you suffer any casualties during the sweep?" She asked, loud enough for any to hear, this being a legitimate question.

"No, sir, we got lucky...only flesh wounds and one through and through shoulder wound. A good operation all around and one slaver in custody," Bryson said briskly, pleased the whole affair had gone off well despite the momentary scare.

"Excellent. How many females were rescued?"

"About fifteen, a couple were being kept in a basement room as punishment," Bryson scowled. Angry at the treatment the teens had suffered.

Feral hissed softly. "they need to be interrogated as soon as possible to determine if any more females had been here but were now shipped off and if they heard where. They need to be found and the rest of the pipeline shut down."

"Don't worry, sir. The Commish has made this case a priority. We haven't had a slavery ring in Megakat City for a decade and he's mad that one managed to slip in under our watch."

"You can thank Dark Kat for that happening at all, the creep," Feral growled.

"Well if you can get rid of that bastard, sir, we'll finally put an end to all this nastiness that keeps turning up because of him. We heard through the grapevine that the drug and weapons trade was doing a brisk business for the past six months as well. You think that omega is responsible for that happening too?" Bryson asked.

Feral scowled. "I don't know and this is the first I've heard of it. However, the odds are high that this was just more of his fund raising methods."

"Then it's true, what I heard, that Dark Kat is planning a major war against the city?" Bryson asked, worried tension in his voice.

"I'm afraid so. But we're doing all we can to ensure we win. You just keep the city free of these petty thugs and I promise to get rid of the big cheese," she said, eyes glittering with cold fire.

Bryson shivered a bit as a hint of Feral's strangeness gleamed from his eyes. But at the same time, he felt a sense of relief. If anyone could take the omegas down or die trying, it would be Feral.

With a cheeky grin, he tried to hide his sudden spike of fear being near the tom, by saying, "I'll hold you to that, Commander and, don't worry, we'll clean up the city but it will be easier when the head is gone."

"Definitely," Feral nodded. "We'll leave the rest of this up to you. Time for me to get back to work."

Bryson nodded and saluted, turning back to finishing up the investigation here while Feral and Fallon made for Feral's hummer parked outside the mansion's gates. They walked in silence. Feral felt better. The conversation with Bryson had been amiable and did much to ease the lieutenant's discomfort about what happened. She needed to let that go and focus on their preparedness for the upcoming war. Her personal hell just had to take a back seat is all.

Yea right...easier said than done, she thought, bitterly.


	13. Chapter 13

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**Chapter 13: Soothing Touch of a Lover**

Going back to her office, Feral felt unhappy and ashamed. The flashback clung to her like cobwebs making her feel dirty. It was a struggle to finish out the day but somehow she managed. It wasn't one of her usual nights to see T-Bone but she needed him badly. On her way home, she signaled him.

"Yes, what's up?"

"Could you come see me please? Something awful happened today and I feel in need of comforting. I know you guys are searching and I hate to interrupt that but I know I won't sleep tonight," she begged softly.

Chance frowned at the device in surprised concern. What could have upset her that badly? A flashback maybe? He chewed his lip a moment then asked, cautiously, "Can you wait until later tonight? That will give Razor and I a chance to cover at least one quadrant more for the day."

She was pulling into her space as he said that. Shutting off her engine, she looking inward to see if she could wait. Though she felt disgusted and dirty, she realized she could wait and decided a long hot shower should help some.

"Okay, I'll wait until then. Plan on staying, please?"

"Sure, no problem. See you later tonight and try to watch something upbeat on TV, that might help," he suggested.

"Okay, later then." She sighed and clicked off her comm then got out of her vehicle and headed for the elevator of her building.

At the garage, Chance sighed and put away his comm.

"What's up?" Jake asked, walking up, wiping his paws. He'd just finished a brake job and noticed his partner on the comm.

"Something happened today to really upset Ulera. I think it might have been a flashback by the sound of her voice. I promised to go to her later when we finish a quadrant."

"Oh...gee sorry to hear that. Then I hope we don't find anything or she won't get the comforting she needs, eh?" Jake said.

"Crud, you're right about that. Well let's finish up here and get out early. We should be able to do at least three areas and not feel guilty about taking a break."

"Good idea."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Ulera took a long hot shower like she planned and it help a little then she went to the kitchen. But after looking in cupboards and the fridge, she just couldn't face eating anything so went to the living room and settled into her recliner, flicking the TV on.

When T-Bone finally arrived around nine that evening, he found Ulera huddled in her recliner in the living room. She looked exhausted and fear lit her eyes. Frowning, he walked from the balcony to the chair and squatted down beside her.

"Hey...why the long face and the fearful eyes? What happened today," he asked, softly, raising a finger to her cheek to caress it gently, soothingly.

Ulera shuddered and turned to seek T-Bone's embrace. He rose up a little so he could take her completely in his arms, though the position was a little awkward. He said nothing, letting her decide when she was willing to speak about what was troubling her.

She appreciated his patience which was strange as she always thought of him as impatient and unwilling to listen to anyone. Guess there was a lot of things she didn't know about him. Rubbing her face against his and inhaling his scent helped steady her as she hesitantly described her hideous start to the day.

He listened without commenting and when she finished, he soothed her as tears of shame fell from her eyes.

"Hey, don't feel that way. It's not your fault and you were warned this could happen. I'm really thankful Sgt Fallon handled it beautifully and that the matter is swept under the rug but now you need to set it aside and treat it as if it was nothing. The more you do that, the less it will affect you in the future. He's dead...you know this intellectually...you just have to begin to believe it emotionally and that takes time."

"How did you get so smart about emotional issues?" she asked, a bit surprised by his advice.

"Would you believe, Dr. Genzer? She gave me training in how to deal with these things so it wouldn't have to wait until the next time you saw her," he admitted with a roguish smile.

Ulera rolled her eyes. "Save me from a SWAT Kat turned shrink," she said smiling to take the sting out of the comment. "I guess that's a good thing, really. Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, have you eaten tonight?" he asked, suspecting she hadn't as she skipped eating when she was upset.

"No, I just couldn't look at food."

"But what about now? I could whip up something for you," he wheedled.

"Won't let me skip, huh?"

"Nope."

"Alright, something light, please," she gave in.

"Your wish is my command." He gave her a kiss, released her and headed for the kitchen. She went back to watching some movie that was on but soon the smell of something good reached her nose and she realized he'd been right. She was hungry after all.

Smiling, T-Bone carried a tray with something steaming on it. He set the tray across her lap. She could see a bowl of chicken soup, a sandwich...roasted tuna, her favorite, and a warm glass of...what was that...a deeper sniff...oh...tea." She sighed and set to work on the food.

Pleased he'd been able to tempt her, T-Bone flopped down on the couch and watched TV while she ate. Not long after, the movie done, she finished with a sigh of repletion. He took the tray to the kitchen then returned to pull her off to bed.

They made gentle love to counteract the flashback of earlier then fell asleep, entwined.

The peace wasn't to last though. Sometime after midnight, a scream and an elbow into his stomach, brought T-Bone to painful wakefulness. He wrapped his arms around Ulera's waist, evading her slashing paws as she tried to escape the bedding and his grasp.

"Easy, love...shhhh...it's alright...just a bad dream...wake now..." he said as soothingly as he could considering he was struggling hard to control her.

She sobbed for air, the image of her dead mate leering at her obscenely in her mind. A voice that wasn't her mate's was calling to her in a gentle, insistent tone. She focused desperately on that to pull her from her nightmare.

Blinking rapidly, she panted and stared into the masked face of her lover. "Ulera?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes...here...sorry," she moaned, going limp and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It's alright, I'm here," he murmured softly, rubbing a paw up and down her shivering back. Carefully, he pulled her down with him, grabbed the blanket and covered them then cuddled her close. Her breath hitched still and she shivered. He caressed her back over and over again until she was calmer. It took more than half an hour but there was no rushing this.

When she was relaxed and easy again, T-Bone thought a gentle seduction might help wipe the dregs of the nightmare away. He began trailing kisses down her neck to her breasts. She sighed and didn't shy away, indicating clearly, she was okay with this.

She moaned and stroked his back with her fingers as he continued to kiss her all over then captured her lips for a more passionate kiss. He thrilled at the rapid beat of the pulse in her throat, the firm curve of her breast. Soft and strong and warm. Her breath caught, released on a low sound of approval. Her hips raised both invitation and demand. It was a flash and burn when he plunged into her, the glorious shock of being taken. He watched as she flew over the crest. Over it and into a storm of speed and heat. He crushed down on her lips and the storm reached its peak, he felt her fly with him.

Breathless, with her system starting its long slide back, she blinked up at the dark ceiling over the bed. He lay over her, his weight pressing hers into the mattress, his heart drumming with hers. His lips brushed her cheek, then he shifted, drawing her back against him again. Snuggled against him, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Except for a vague, disturbing and rapidly fading dream toward morning, she had slept more than seven hours straight without waking. T-Bone was still snoozing beside her, smiling tenderly, she leaned over and kissed his forehead. He slowly opened his eyes and tried to focus on her face as he gradually got his brain in gear.

"Good morning, beautiful. You look rested this morning," he grinned at her leaning close for a quick, hot kiss.

Returning the kiss, she sighed, "Yes, thanks to you! I had some kind of weird dream this morning, but I can't remember what it was now." Realizing what time it was, she climbed out of bed and headed for the shower.

Enjoying the view of her lovely rear, he decided he'd join her. She was already in the shower soaping down when he stepped in behind her.

"Keep your paws to yourself, T-Bone. I really need to hurry and get going this morning," she objected mildly, smiling and smacking his sneaking paw away. Laughing, he promised to be good and helped wash her back then she returned the favor. Minutes later, they were dry, groomed, and dressed for work.

"How goes your search?" she asked, strapping on her harness then reaching into her closet safe for her formidable laser.

"More than seventy-five percent done and still no sign of them but Razor is very certain he's there, somewhere and I agree. Maybe tonight we'll get lucky," he said, pulling on his glovatrix.

"I'll pray for it. I'm as ready as I'll ever be and want this to be over soon."

"Yea, I think we're all beginning to feel that way. Let's eat something then get going for the day."

"I'd rather catch something at work..." she started to object.

"Nope, you need the protein. No skipping for you. Now come on and let's see what's in your fridge," he said firmly, heading to the kitchen.

Rolling her eyes, Ulera thought he could be a pain, but then it really was nice someone cared enough to ensure she ate. It was a wonderful feeling.

In very little time, T-Bone had scrambled some eggs, nuked some bacon, and poured milk for them both. Gesturing at her seat, he made it clear she was to sit down and eat. Sighing, she did as he ordered. After finishing her breakfast, she was glad she'd eaten, she felt better for it.

Finished, the dishes were put in the dishwasher and the two were parting for the day. He gave her a peck on the cheek. "Have a better day at work, Ulera," he said in parting, heading for the balcony then disappearing from view.

Smiling to herself, she altered her features to her male one then headed for her front door. Minutes later, they were zooming off, her through the city streets to Enforcer Headquarters and him, the bridge and over to the far end of town to the salvage yard.


	14. Chapter 14

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**Chapter 14: When Forces Collide**

The next night after being with Ulera, the SWAT Kats began yet another sweep of the mountains, the last section to be searched. Four hours later, running on fumes, they gave it up and returned to base.

"Well that was a waste of a night!" T-Bone grumbled irritably.

"No, it isn't, we still have those volcanoes near the bay to check. Don't be discouraged yet, buddy," Razor soothed even though he was just as frustrated.

"Yeah, I know. It's just I can feel time is running out. Dark Kat may be within days of attacking and we still can't find him," the tabby growled, stripping his flight suit off.

"All we can do is the best we can and as fast as we are able and hope it's soon enough." Razor said pragmatically, shrugging his shoulders before changing to his civies. "We better fill the jet's tanks before going to bed.

"Yea, okay." He went to where they stored the fuel and turned the pump on then dragged a long, thick hose to one of the wing tanks. He let his eyes stare off at nothing as he waited. When his tank was filled, he handed the hose off to Jake to fill the other one. An hour later they were done.

Yawning, Chance sighed and realized his friend was right, there simply wasn't anything more they could do as they were already searching night and day plus working in the garage in between. He was seriously beginning to feel the strain. Stretching, he headed for the ladder behind his partner. They went on up to their apartment, had a snack then went to bed. They had work in the garage needing done before going on another search tomorrow.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Feral wasn't having any easier time of it. Colonel Renfur had reported into her the next day after her night with T-Bone and told her the search of all the empty warehouses, abandoned factories and military facilities was a bust. No sign anyone had been at any of the sites for a long time.

"Well, we had to know for sure. Don't beat yourself up about it. It's actually good news as we didn't want to find them in the city anyway," Feral said, calmly.

"You're right about that, sir, but have you heard what progress the SWAT Kats have made on their search?" Renfur asked, frustrated.

"Last time I spoke with them, which was last night, they had covered more than seventy-five percent of the mountain range. T-Bone informed me they still had a ring of volcanoes to search," she sighed, shaking her head. "Dark Kat has well and truly hidden himself away."

"Huh, that's for sure. Nothing to do but wait. I'm a little concerned that the troops are getting really restless and worried, as am I."

"Believe me, I am too. Waiting for an attack is the most stressful time for anyone but wait we must. Meanwhile, I'm using the time to refine my abilities and I'm pleased to say, I have far more control and finesse now. I also am rather appalled at just how much power I possess. It's a bit intimidating," she admitted wryly.

He eyed her carefully. She was uneasy but not too afraid and that was a good thing to his mind. She'd come a long way from when she stood before them her first day back from the hospital. He'd thought she was going to faint or run screaming from the room but she'd made it through everything thrown at her and that's what he admired about her. She'd lead a terrible life but when she became their leader no one would have known that. Then when she was abused again and was exposed for what she was, she still managed to come out on top. What a feisty and brave female she was and the perfect leader, to his mind and one he'd not had trouble following all these years. Knowing she was female and of another species hadn't changed his opinion of her. However, he couldn't deny that bastard who abused her did a number on her self confidence. So, he took it upon himself to give her little pep talks when she needed them, like now.

"You'll do fine, sir. We need that power to win this war and I can't think of anyone with the skill and courage to do it but you," he said sincerely. "And I'm certain once you use it in combat, it will become like your laser, just another weapon you're very skilled with."

She blushed at the compliment and his certainty of her. Her squadron leaders were firmly behind her and did their best to encourage her at every opportunity like Renfur was doing now. She kind of hated being so needy and having her officers know it but they never held it against her. She would just have to learn to believe more in herself.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Yet another night search and T-Bone was getting disgusted they had yet to find the elusive hiding place of the omegas. They were now searching a string of old volcanoes that strung along the bay. One side of the mountains fronted the bay while the other side was mostly a rocky terrain with a forest at its far end, closest to the city. They'd started at the far end and worked their way back toward the city when Razor got a bounce back signal that was rather strange.

"T-Bone hold our position. I think we've got something...some kind of energy signal that shouldn't be here. Start at the far pointed outcropping and begin a slow pass over it," Razor exclaimed. He lowered the x-ray beam as soon as his partner began his pass.

For several seconds he saw nothing but rock and lava flows deep underground then suddenly...

"Hold it right there!" he shouted. Focusing his ray, he pierced the rock and stared at a huge cavern that could easily fit two football fields in it. His jaws tightened as he stared at what they'd been looking for but he never believed it would be this big." In a terse voice, he called over the radio, "Get out of here. I've marked the location in the computer but we don't want them to detect us yet. Make for Feral quarters now!"

Without a word, T-Bone swung away and raced across the sky as if his tail was on fire. "What did you see," he asked anxiously as he piloted for Ulera's apartment building.

"I'll tell you when we're with her so I don't have to tell it twice tonight," Razor said grimly.

That worried T-Bone even more and was glad it didn't take too long to reach Ulera's place. Going to silent mode, he set the jet down light as a feather onto her roof. He shot the canopy back and the two jumped down and raced for the roof stairs.

Fortunately, Feral lived not far from the exit so they weren't seen when they knocked on her door. It took her only a moment to open it and stare at them in surprise but she said nothing as she stepped aside to allow them to enter then shut the door quickly.

"You found them." She said, certain of it by their tense demeanor.

"Yea, we did and it's far worse than we ever dreamed," Razor said grimly.

"Report!"

"Dark Kat's hideout is in the third volcano in the Bay Point Range nearest the city. It's a huge cavern, two football fields in length and filled to capacity with an army that's just plain overkill. From my quick look, there is a full contingency of aircraft, a large number of mutant plants, a tank squadron, and some kind of mini jet fleet, an army of creeplings far bigger than any we've fought before, a hundred or so ninjas, and a double your size black widow."

"How big are the creeplings?" T-Bone wanted to know.

"About the size of a car," Razor growled. "Seems to be about a hundred of those plus a whole flock of his smaller ones. He's obviously been producing those buggers for months to acquire so many."

Feral paled at the numbers but shook herself out and began running over what she needed to do next. Pausing, she eyed Razor. "Do you think you were spotted?"

"I'm fairly certain they didn't catch on we were there and I had T-Bone lit out of there before we could be."

"Do they look ready to attack?"

"From what I saw, yea!"

"Then we have no time to waste. Let me get dressed and we'll head back to headquarters and recall our own army. It's time to fight."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The moment she hit her office, she put in an immediate recall of all troops and going to DEFCON 1 immediately. While her army was reporting for duty, Feral put in a call to Ms. Briggs. It was going on midnight and she wasn't very happy to lose her beauty sleep but threw off her irritation when she learned what the call was about.

"They found them."

"Yes, and it's far worse than we imagined, Ms. Briggs. I've recalled my forces to duty and as soon as we're ready, we'll head out. Should engage Dark Kat's army at dawn if things work out right. I've gone to DEFCON 1, I just needed you to be aware and prepared," Feral told her.

"Okay, I'll notify the city council and the Mayor. What's the status of the defensive line you're leaving behind?" she asked, briskly, as she ran over all the details she needed to handle in the next few hours. She was already climbing out of bed to get dressed.

"They are next on my list."

"Fine, you do that now and I'll be waiting for the commissioner at city hall. Have him meet me in the Mayor's office when he's got his police in place," she ordered.

"Right. Later." Feral was about to close the connection when...

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"Bust their tails, Ulera and come back to us safe," Callie said firmly.

"I'll certainly try my best Callie," Feral said humbly then cut the connection so she could contact Henderfield.

A groggy voice, thick with sleep answered her call. "Henderfield, this better be important!"

"It is! This is Feral. Wake up. We're off to battle and you need to set up your defense perimeter. Ms. Briggs wants you to report to her as soon as you're set."

"Hot damn! Finally. How big is the army you're facing?" He asked, more awake and throwing his covers off, making his mate groan in annoyance.

"Far larger than we imagined so we're hoping our early strike will take them down or you're going to be overwhelmed," Feral told him honestly.

"Shit! Well then don't let them reach the city, Commander. We're counting on you."

"We'll do our best. I've got to go."

"Good luck to you! Stay alive and see you back home again in one piece."

"Right!" Then she hung up and stood, making for the conference room. There the squadron leaders all waited along with a Navy Commander and a black ops team, much to the others surprise. With the SWAT Kats, Steele, Renfur and Sgt Fallon by her side, she stalked into the room.

"Alright listen up. The SWAT Kats found Dark Kat. He's located..." She pointed out the location on a map standing on an easel, "...in this volcano." She quickly relayed all the information Razor had given her. Faces turned grim and tense at the news.

"We have to get to the hideout as rapidly as we can without tipping off the omegas. I want all ground forces to be fully outfitted and loaded with the tanks aboard the new transport planes that have, fortunately, been delivered. The jet squadrons and choppers will provide cover for them as they offload. As the ground troops charge the mountain entrance on this side of the volcano..." she pointed out the side closest to the bay.

"...the fighter jets will pound the mountain, shake them up and engage Turmoil's jets. The choppers will be busy fighting Viper's flying creatures and protecting our ground forces. Because this mountain has a bay side, the Navy, already steaming their way there, will bombard the bay side and fight any flying vehicles and/or creatures. Meanwhile, the SWAT Kats, this black ops team that has been training with us, and myself are going to infiltrate from the rear by an entry the SWAT Kats are going to make to connect to a lava tube where we hope to sneak in and take the leaders by surprise," She pointed out the rear of the mountain she was talking about then turned to stare at all the grim faces.

"When we attack, we have to assume this will be the enemy's scenario: Turmoil will have her fighters launch from an upper, hidden flight line or she has another airship to launch from and will engage our fighters. Dark Kat will send out the tanks made from the stolen plans driven by his ninjas against the ground forces while his creeplings create havoc along side Viper's mutations. This is what we face and what our plan of attack will be. Any questions?" she asked.

A few minor details were discussed and ironed out but finally everyone was satisfied. Then she asked, "How far are we on the recall, arming and loading?"

"Tanks are about 70% loaded when I checked before coming here, sir," Major Thorne said briskly.

"Ground troops nearly 80% loaded aboard transports, sir," Lt Col Pierson said.

"Choppers all fueled, armed, and ready, sir," Steele said.

"Jet squadrons, fueled and warmed, waiting for orders, sir," Major Skyfur said.

"My fleet is within ten miles and closing per the last report I received," Navy Commander Tranclaws reported.

"Excellent, then let's finish up and hit the road ASAP. We need to be on target by 0500. Keep in touch on frequency Beta Four Niner," Feral ordered then dismissed the group and left with her own team out the door.

For the next hour, Enforcer Headquarters was a bee hive of frantic but orderly activity. The mass takeoff was at 0400 exactly. If any of the Katizens had been awake they would have seen something spectacular...the sky full of every flying vehicle the Enforcers possessed arrowing their way across the bay and tanks trundling down main street and heading across the bay bridge.

The Navy was already waiting at station keeping for the rest to arrive. The huge transports quickly landed on the dry plain behind the forest that hugged this side of the mountain and disgorged their troops before taking off again. The tanks took a bit longer to arrive, some twenty minutes more but soon, all forces were arrayed around the base of the mountain waiting for the signal for the attack to begin.

The Turbokat took a high altitude flight path so they would come upon the mountain too far up to be seen then waited. They hung there nervously until Feral finally received confirmation that all her forces were in place and waiting. She gave the command to attack.

"You've got a green light!" She called through her helmet radio to the crew above her.

"Roger!" T-Bone barked, responding by taking the jet down until he was just halfway down the mountain then went to hover so his partner could blast a hole.

Razor fired the missile he had waiting. "Mole missile away!"

In seconds, his missile efficiently gouged a huge hole, hitting the lava tube dead on. T-Bone then lowered the jet to the ground just below the hole. Razor hit the cargo doors as T-Bone opened the canopy. All parties rushed out and waited until Razor had secured the jet then headed for the mountain. At the rock face, they scrambled up to the hole using climbing ropes. Already the air was filled with the sound of missiles flying and impacting the mountain, nearly knocking them off their feet.

Because of her abilities, Feral lead the way. The ops team was in the middle with the SWAT Kats bringing up the rear. They moved cautiously as the mountain shook around them. They followed the old lava tube to a hidden ledge above the huge cavern floor.

Below them seethed a carpet of creeplings, plant creatures, and tanks rushing to engage the enemy outside their door. Looking around, Feral spotted Dark Kat on a ledge across from them, pointing a huge laser cannon out a carved hole and firing at the enemy while barking orders to all and sundry around him. There was no sign of Turmoil but it was fairly obvious she was already outside in the air. As for Viper, he too wasn't visible at the moment nor were the other minor omegas.

As they watched the floor clear as all Dark Kat's and Viper's minions left to attack the enemy head on, they noted Dark Kat take a few more pot shots outside before leaving the cannon to a minion and disappearing from view only to reappear on the cavern floor marching to his black widow. Viper suddenly showed up from a side cavern with four of his mushroom monsters around him. He paused to speak to Dark Kat, gesticulating wildly, obviously angry.

"Perfect opportunity," she said then raised her paw and fired at the pair below her. Taking that as a signal to launch their own attacks, the SWAT Kats and half the ops team went down by grappling line to engage the few enemies still there as well as try and find where Hard Drive might be.

Feral's first burst struck Dark Kat dead on, the excess energy catching Viper and sending him flying to the nearest wall. She hadn't killed him. With him out for the moment, she quickly acquired other targets and didn't hold back when they were creeplings and mutant plants. She also took out the laser cannon, melting it to slag. It didn't take her long to finish off all the enemy within sight of her perch. She was about to make a move to head to the floor when the black widow began to raise off the ground. Scowling, she looked around and found both Viper and Dark Kat missing. It wasn't too big a leap of logic to know the two were now aboard the widow.

Furious, she built up a larger than normal amount of energy and before she let it go, she yelled for everyone to clear out. She held it long enough for her team and the SWAT Kats to clear out of the cavern before she fired on the black widow that was beginning to speed out a large exit tube. She unleashed a powerful bolt of energy that struck the flying spider and exploded it within the tube causing the tunnel to collapse and crush the vehicle. She turned swiftly back the way they'd come because the tube's destruction plus the pounding from outside was causing the cavern to also collapse.

A huge billow of dust blew out behind her nearly sending her off her perch. Looking down, she noted the Turbokat was gone, most likely going after Turmoil, she guessed. Her black ops team were engaging in sneaking up on the enemy's tanks and dropping little presents inside before leaping to safey. They'd taken out over six of them so far. Looking away from that scene, she stared off toward the bay, the ledge giving her a small view of the action. The Navy was doing its best to hold its own from some small mini-jets that moved too fast for them to fire on but at least they kept them occupied. She couldn't see on the other side of the mountain so did't know how they were faring.

Frowning in thought, she planned her attack. First the mini-jets pounding the Naval destroyers...she gathered energy then using both paws, fired a broad range spray of force that caught huge cluster of mini-jets and incinerated them. The ones left circled in confusion a moment before figuring out where the bolt had come from and heading for her. She estimated she had time to take out other targets before those jets came close enough to her.

Turning to look at the ground, she eyed the mutants and huge flying creeplings. The spitting acid plantimals and lightning ones on the ground were creating havoc and death. Those had to go now. Using the same method she had on the mini-jets, she sprayed large clusters of creeplings then acid spitters before going to single shooting ones that were engaged against her choppers and tanks.

By the time she'd decimated the enemies numbers of mutants, the mini-jets had closed in on her. She smiled like a shark. The enemy had spread themselves out so as to make themselves a more difficult target. It didn't work. She got them all by starting at one end and spraying across the sky. None were left when she finished. Wasting no time, she turned back to the ground battle and took out enemy tanks, small clusters of pink creeplings, walking mushroom, and attacking spiny vines.

As she fought with seeming ease, she had to constantly remind herself this was a war not fun and games as the energy she was using felt incredible and oh so delightful racing through her. The glorious sensations were threatening to derail her concentration. At one point, as she was playing target practice with giant flying wasps and bees, she was laughing and dancing...her power fanning around her making her look like the legendary phoenix.

Flying over the bay and engaging Turmoil's airship, T-Bone and Razor were startled when a bolt came out of the blue and decimated Turmoil's fleet of mini-jets. they looked behind them and could just make out a glowing torch on the side of the mountain.

"Woah! Is that Ulera?" T-Bone gasped.

"Yea it is and she seems to be having waaay too much fun. We better check on her once we have Turmoil's airship down and out," Razor warned, as he fired a few metal ripper style missiles he'd invented that tore apart huge sections of the air ship but still hadn't brought it down.

As Feral was just hitting her stride, negligently destroying the missiles and mutants being fired at her and enjoying herself far too much, it finally dawned on the Dark Kat's army that someone was doing a good job of eliminating them. They turned away from the Enforcers and began firing steadily at the mountain where they assumed she was standing.

Snorting at their ineffectual efforts, Feral finally decided she needed to just end this melee now. Since she was glorifying in her power a little too much, she nearly forgot her own people were out there in the field as well. Shaking her head, and scolding herself, she pulled back on her power a bit, then got out her radio. She signaled an immediate retreat so that she could clear the field. Though reluctant and very surprised, her troops did as ordered and in quick fashion the field was left to the enemy. While waiting, she noticed the Turbokat was having difficulties bringing down Turmoil's airship. Snorting in annoyance, she fired a bolt of energy that punched clean through the airship leaving a hole big enough for a jumbo jet to cruise through in it. Instantly, it listed to its side and headed for the bay below.

The SWAT Kats were startled but recovered quickly and monitored the slowly faltering airship for escapees and throwing a glance back at the battle. It was then they noticed the Enforcers retreat.

"What the heck is she doing?" T-Bone suddenly asked.

Razor looked out his window and noted the Enforcers retreating then looked off toward the mountain cliff where Feral was supposedly standing. "Obviously clearing the battlefield so she can take out the rest without harming her own forces," he guessed shrewdly.

"Crud! Can she take on that many?" T-Bone wondered aloud.

Razor's guess was confirmed and T-Bone question answered when the entire area was bathed in a destructive wave of energy. Whatever it touched disintegrated to dust. In less than five minutes, the enemy was gone without a trace.

"Holy crap! She did it!" T-Bone breathed in awe.

"It's a sobering sight to see the field of enemies reduced to ash in the blink of an eye. Never guessed she could do something like that and I bet she didn't either," Razor mused.

Below the the airship hit the water and began to sink. Razor had already contacted the Naval destroyers to be on hand for pickup of survivors. The ships were already doing that. Seeing they weren't needed any longer, T-Bone flew back toward the main battlefield.

"I can understand better now why she was a afraid of what she could do," T-Bone remarked. "Think we better go down and see if she needs anything or just a lift back to headquarters."

"Good idea."

The Turbokat landed near the remaining forces and prisoners gathering at the base of the mountain entrance. Jumping out they sauntered over to the group of officers with Feral at their center.

"Alright, gather your troops and let's get everyone home. Use one of the transports as a hospital carrier and load all the wounded aboard. Put up warning beacons to keep sightseers away from here until its been cleared. We will clean up and investigate this site tomorrow. The SWAT Kats will be happy to transport those that need it besides myself and my team." She paused to look around.

"The Navy most likely has her, Commander," Razor spoke up.

Feral glanced at them and nodded. She pulled her radio out and spoke with the Commander of the fleet and found out Turmoil and most of her crew had been pulled from the water and they were now steaming back to base. She thanked them then disconnected. Returning her attention to her officers she said, well that takes care of her. Anyone see Hard Drive?" No one answered.

"Maybe he was never here," Razor said, suggested.

"Possible. Well, a fresh search team might turn him up," Feral grunted.

"What about Dark Kat and Viper? Where are they," an officer asked.

"They tried to escape in the black widow. I brought the escape tunnel down on them...it crushed the widow and the tunnel so I'm certain they are no more," Feral confirmed. Cheers followed that announcement. She smiled and waited a bit before getting their attention again. "Alright everyone gather all the prisoners and pick another transport for just them, ensure there are enough guards for each group of prisoners. I don't want anyone left behind. As soon as everyone returns to base and is accounted for, leave is authorized for the rest of the week. Don't report back until Monday and tell all, great work! So let's all get some needed rest and celebrate our victory. Le't get out of here!" Feral finished her orders.

Everyone cheered both for the end of the battle, the end of the omegas, and the chance to take a well deserved break. All began to board the transports in an orderly fashion. The jets and choppers were already on their way back to base.

The Turbokat was loaded quickly, Feral being the last to board as she saw to all the details needed to secure the site, ensure all transports had left, and the area was clear. The SWAT Kats stood leaning againt the jet waiting patiently for her. She smiled at them sunnily, no sign of strain or exhaustion on her, as she boarded the jet. With skillful ease, T-Bone piloted the jet back to Enforcer Headquarters as the sun rose higher in the sky. Surprisingly, the whole battle had lasted less than an hour.

Dropping off their passengers at Enforcer Headquarters, the exhausted SWAT Kats headed for their hangar having been up more than twelve hours already. T-Bone sighed tiredly knowing he wouldn't be taking a nap at home. Ulera needed all that excess energy dumped so he decided to take a quick shower and grab a bite before heading off to her apartment. Jake waved good bye, deciding not to open the garage today so he could get some rest.

Driving nearly on autopilot, T-Bone zipped through the clogged morning traffic heading uptown. Parking his Cyclotron in its ususal spot, he climbed upward until he was in her apartment. It was no surprise to find Ulera wasn't home yet. Yawning, he walked to her bedroom, stripping his g-suit off on the way, then tossed it into a chair, laying his glovatrix on top of the pile. Climbing into bed, he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

It was hours later, quitting time, when Ulera called it a day and went home. By now, the city had heard what had gone on and were celebrating. It had been a bit difficult wending her way through the constipated traffic to reach home because of so many being out and about cheering and enjoying the first true peace they'd ever had in nearly a decade.

Reaching her door, she yawned and unlocked it. She felt good, not really tired more energized by all the power buzzing in her still. She pulled her coat off and hung it up in the coat closet then walked to the bedroom. She smiled at the sight of her lover sprawled asleep on her bed.

Leaving him be for the moment, she walked to her closet and locked her gun up in the safe. Then she stripped her clothes off and went into the shower to wash the day off. Clean and feeling vibrant, she turned off the lights and slid into bed. Leaning until she was nose to nose with T-Bone, she kissed him on the nose.

He groaned then blinked his eyes. Before him was an amazing pair of tri-colored eyes staring into his. He smiled lazily and reached a paw up to stroke her cheek.

"Well hello you...what time is it?"

"About six o'clock in the evening," she sighed, enjoying the caress.

"So you stayed the day. You're a glutton for punishment," he snorted then his expression softened. "I'm proud of you. You won and saved the city."

She blushed.

"So, you need a dumping. This near to you, I can feel you buzzing."

"Yea, it feels so good but I'm beginning to feel overloaded now," she admitted.

"I just bet you do. Well, let's just take care of that shall we?" he purred, pulling her atop him.

"I thought you'd never ask," she smirked, impishly.


	15. Chapter 15

**A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS**

**Chapter 15: Epilogue**

The morning after the battle rose sunny and warm. For the first time, she paid no heed to her alarm clock and continued to sleep wrapped around T-Bone's warm body. An hour after her alarm would have gone off the phone rang, jarring her awake.

Groping around blindly she finally found the noisy instrument. Her voice groggy, she barked, "Feral!"

"Commander, I'm sorry sir, Sgt Fallon here. I wanted to know if you intended to come in today?" Her sergeant apologetically asked.

"Huh? Well crud! What time is it?" She asked as she searched for the clock.

"It's eight, sir!" He said promptly.

"Aw hell, I'm sorry!...Uh...just a minute!" She forced her still sleepy mind to work. The war was over, everyone was taking a break (she hoped) but there were still some things she needed to ensure certain things were done before she too could take a much needed break. She wasn't tired physically, but her spirit could use some down time after all the stress she'd endured of late.

Sighing, she came to a decision. "I'll be in. Just let me get some breakfast. All quiet there?" She asked, shoving the bedding off.

"Yes, sir, very quiet and peaceful. Lt. Commander Steele is in to clear any of the normal paperwork needed doing. No calls from the Mayor's office yet nor the police commissioner. The investigation, cleanup and search teams are out at the scene right now and still no sign of Hard Drive," Fallon reported.

"Humph! Seems Razor might be right, our techno crook must never have been there at all. He's smart, after doing what Dark Kat wanted, he wisely skedaddled."

"A good assumption, sir. Since he's probably heard the battle is over by now and his side lost, he could have very well left town," Fallon mused, thoughtfully.

"Yea, wouldn't be a bit surprised. Keep an APB out for him for now; I'll be in shortly."

"Yes sir, see you soon." Fallon hung up.

Hanging up the phone, Ulera yawned and stretched. "You coming back when you're done?" a sleep thick voice mumbled from the other side of the bed. She turned to lean down over his face.

"Yes, I really should touch base with my officers, reassure the Mayor, and find out if anything went on while we we're occupied then I'll be back, perhaps by lunch. You staying?" she asked, coyly, batting her eyelashes and caressing his cheek.

He chuckled and giving her roguish smile, murmured, "Well, if you really want me to, I think my partner won't mind, really. How about I fix you a super lunch with a wonderful desert after, hmm?"

She purred in pleasure. "Sounds like a perfect afternoon. You're on." With that, she made for the shower. In very little time, she was dressed and heading out the door after quickly downing an egg sandwich and some coffee.

When she walked into her office a little while later, Steele was sitting at her desk sorting through a small stack of files. He smiled broadly at her when he heard her come in then got up from her seat and came to greet her.

"Good morning, sir. Nothing important has come up. Commissioner Henderfield called and said to call him when you got in. Ms. Briggs hasn't called yet and I've gone through the night shift reports and a few of the ones from the battle. They are in order of importance and only a few require your signature." Briefing her without being asked.

"Excellent. Thank you Steele. You going home now?"

"Soon sir. I have just a few other things to do in my office then I'm gone. Planning on getting some sun and laze on the beach...haven't done that for some time."

"Great idea and it looks to be a fine day for it too. Is there enough of the force to cover the city while the rest is on break?"

"Yes sir, though we're spread rather thinly. Fortunately, with the city fairly bursting with happiness, I don't expect any problems needing the Enforcers much at all. The police will have a bit of a heavier work load for a few days due to overly indulging Katizens celebrating their freedom from the omega threat but nothing they can't handle. Since the sun came up, it's been a very peaceful day and there are no signs that it won't stay that way for long time," Steele said briskly. "May I say sir, it is a wonderful feeling not to have to worry about staying on high alert every day. Perhaps we can now be a normal city with normal problems." Satisfaction, pleasure and hope filled his voice.

"That is my hope too. Driving here, I could feel and see the city give a collective sigh of relief at their freedom by the many smiles and happy faces I saw." A smile gracing her face. "Go get done what you need to and enjoy your well deserved break. I'll see you on Monday, oh, and be sure to tell the watch commander where you can be reached as you are on standby."

"I expected that, sir and have already told him. Just don't stay around here too long yourself and have a nice break, you truly deserve it." Smiling broadly, he saluted her then turned on his heel and left.

"Unless you have anything urgent to complete, you're excused as well Sergeant."

"Just a few things to take care of sir and I will. See you on Monday." Fallon saluted, smiling warmly, before turning about and leaving himself.

Alone in her office, she went to her desk and began to make some calls. The first person she got a hold of was Police Commissioner Henderfield. He reported that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred in the city while the battle raged outside it. They had been so unaffected, the Katizens seemed to not be aware of the danger so close by. The only problems being encountered now were the ones Steele had already briefed her on. She thanked him and he congratulated her on their victory before they both hung up.

Smiling in relief, she called the Mayor's office next. A relaxed and happy Callie answered the phone. "Oh, Commander, you're in? I thought you'd take time off like your troops?"

"Oh, believe me, I plan to but there were some details I needed to deal with first. How are things at your end?"

"Oh, quiet like a tomb around here. The council announced a holiday to celebrate our freedom and the Mayor led the way, so none of them are here right now. I wouldn't be here either but I needed to finish up some loose ends and reports so I won't be faced with it on Monday. It's so lovely outside, I'm looking forward to sunbathing at the beach. Never had a break in far too long."

"Isn't that the truth for all of us," Ulera gave an amused snort. "I called to tell you I have enough Enforcers to cover the city and Steele is on stand by. Commissioner Henderfield reports a quiet city with the normal problems, and my investigation team is out at the scene collecting evidence and clearing the site. No sign of Hard Drive. I suspect he got smart and left the city but since we don't know for certain, I've got an APB out for him. Which leaves only the threat of the Pastmaster to haunt us, still."

"And he's not one for frequent visits, so we're a normal city at last, more or less. There are those occasional accidents and rare visitors from space, but generally, we can finally stop being on alert status at last. How wonderfully freeing that is," Callie said, pleased and relieved. "So how are you going to spend your much deserved off time?"

"Hmm, hadn't thought about it much yet but I'm sure I'll think of something. Enjoy your time off, Ms. Briggs," Feral said, feeling very good.

"You too, Commander. You deserve it," Callie said, warmly then hung up.

Sighing happily, Feral went through the things Steele had left her, signed several documents then left it in her out basket. Finished, she looked at the time and found it was just going on eleven. Cool! Done before lunch. Time to go home, she thought, excited about what T-Bone might have planned.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

After Ulera left, T-Bone reluctantly shoved the blankets off and headed to the bathroom. Returning to bed minutes later, he paused to contact his partner. Pulling his comm from his suit that was laying on a chair, he activated it. Seconds later he was greeted by a very grumpy, sleepy voice.

"What?"

"Where's my early bird? You're normally up at this time and well into a day's work?" the tabby asked, amused and surprised.

"Hey, after all those late night searches and the extreme tension of working too many long hours, you bet I'm tired. What do you want?" Jake growled, rolling to his back and staring blindly up at the ceiling of his room.

"Don't' bite my head off buddy. I would still be sleeping too if Ulera hadn't wakened me as she got up to go finish up some things at work. Before she left she asked if I would stay with her for a while. Unless you have an objection, I intend to remain with her for a few days. Any problems with that?"

Jake smothered a yawn. "Nah, we're good. For the first time, we can really take a break. We deserve it! Don't have any customers and I plan on keeping the garage closed a few days to enjoy my mini-vacation too. It'll give me a chance to work on some long delayed projects as well. See you in a few days; have fun."

"Thanks buddy. Get your rest and don't bury yourself in the dark too long. Get out in the sun for a bit too. See you soon." Getting an assurance that Jake would go out and have some fun besides working, T-Bone closed the comm, put it away in his suit, then crawled back into bed.

He slept a few more hours then woke when his alarm went off. Groaning, he rolled to a seated position and rubbed his face. Deciding a shower was in order, he stumbled off to take one.

More refreshed some fifteen minutes later, he dressed and headed off to the kitchen. He remembered from his last look in Ulera's fridge that she'd had some steaks in the freezer and some other treats she must have bought recently.

Humming to himself, he set about making a fabulous meal for them both. By the time Ulera entered her apartment, it was filled with delicious odors. She put her coat away then drifted to the kitchen.

"Hmm, my...something sure smells wonderful," she said hungrily. The stove and counters were filled with various things.

Laughing, T-Bone turned and caught her up in his arms then gently hustled her out of the kitchen. "Uh uh...stay out...I'm not finished yet. Go get changed and be my beauty before coming back. Now git!" he said, giving her butt a friendly swat.

"My, pushy much?" She laughed then headed off to do what he'd asked. Pulling her uniform off and hanging it, she studied her rather limited feminine attire.

"Hmm, I need to do some discrete shopping. I should have more than ten female items in here," she murmured aloud. After pawing through her clothes, she finally settled on a stunning Dual Floral Print Satin Feel Beaded Halter Smocked Bodice Handkerchief Hem Dress that she'd bought in a moment of weakness. The name might be long but the dress wasn't, reaching only just above her knees. It had a deep plunging neckline and hugged her curves in all the right places.

She been taken with it since it was in her favorite colors, green and blue. Slipping it on, she looked at herself in her mirror. An attractive and unusual female stood there where a male once had been. With her contacts out and her face back to normal, she looked fabulous. Smiling, she did one more thing she hadn't done before, made her hair longer.

She watched, breathlessly, as her hair went past her shoulders before stopping. It had a light curl to it with a flirtatious bang over one eye. The overall effect was stunning. Smiling to herself, she strolled barefoot out of her bedroom and made for the kitchen again. Peering through the doorway, she watched him putter around, setting the table, putting the food on it, and getting a bottle that wasn't milk to set nearby.

The simple kitchen table had been transformed into an elegant setting by virtue of a tablecloth she forgot she had, her best china, and two wine glasses. And in the center was a vase of red roses.

Where the heck did he get those?" she wondered.

She walked in as he lit two candle holders with two black candles in them. He'd closed the blinds to make the kitchen a little darker. On each plate was a t-bone steak, baked potato, and a crisp green salad. Canned biscuits had been cooked and were in a basket with butter on a tray beside it to finish the elegant look of the meal.

"Oh, T-Bone, how lovely and it smells divine," she cooed, thrilled to be treated so nicely.

He turned his head to smile at her but his mouth dropped and, if she could have seen his eyes, they would have been bugging out of his head.

"Wow! Don't you look good enough to eat," he growled playfully, coming to her side and kissing her hotly then broke the kiss and escorted her to her seat, even pulling the chair out for her. "You dressed to kill alright. Hope my meal can compete," he said, grinning. He poured out the wine for both of them then sat across from her.

"I offer a toast. To freedom and to you for being strong enough and brave enough to give it to us," he said solemnly.

She blushed but gently clinked her glass against his and drank the toast. They dug into their food and didn't speak until the last morsel had been consumed.

"That was wonderful. Who knew you were such a good cook?" She set her knife and fork down and leaned back to drink her wine and let her food digest.

"I have my moments." He grinned, pleased he'd done a good job. She truly deserved to be treated this way every day after what she suffered early on in life.

Eyeing him over her glass, she got up the courage to ask him something that had been on her mind lately. "T-Bone, do you feel as comfortable around me as I do you?" He felt so right in her home but did he feel the same way? Hiding her nervousness, she waited for his answer.

He stared at her for a long considering moment before answering. "Yea, I do, actually. It's kinda funny how well we seem to get along when we aren't thinking like SWAT Kat and Commander. I like being with you. And the sex is intense," he added, smirking.

She blushed, pleased but still had one more question. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Honestly, I don't know. The SWAT Kats aren't going to be needed much after this so we'll have to redefine what we want to do but quitting isn't an option. In terms of you and I, since I'll have more time on my paws, which I suspect will be the same for you, I see no reason not to continue building a relationship which we've been doing without noticing."

"We have? I hadn't realized that." She blinked, surprised.

"See, it just sort of kept going after my frequent visits turned into a bit more than just sex," he assured her.

"Yes, you're right about that. I got rather used to you being there not just for sex but your insight on so many things. I just hadn't realized that's what a friendship is supposed to be like since I never had one in my life before," she mused.

"Now that is just wrong. Sure you were hiding yourself, but you should have at least formed some friendships, especially during your time in the academy," he objected, surprised and concerned.

She shrugged her shoulders and took another sip of her wine. "How could I? I wasn't really one of the guys you know and just like any female, I really didn't know a male's mind well enough to risk something so personal to happen. And, females?...They were looking for something else from me and obviously, I couldn't give them that since I wasn't really male."

T-Bone sat back and studied her. What a mess! No wonder she had no real social skills when it came to how a male and female behaved. She had learned social niceties to work in politics but in her personal life, she hadn't a clue how it worked. He shook his head. That just wasn't right but there was nothing he could do about the past and only the present matter anyway.

"Life hasn't been kind to you for a very long time, Ulera but that changes now," he said finally. He set his glass down and reached across for her paw. "I'll teach you what it means to be in a relationship and how to recognize friends and how to interact with them. None of them needs to know you are female and a different species to be good friends. By the way, you already have the beginning of some great friendships though they are considered acquaintances right now."

She frowned at him. "What's the difference between the two?"

"An acquaintance is someone you know casually; like Steele, your ranking officers, Commissioner Henderfield, Manx, Dr. Sinian, Dr. Konway, Professor Hackle, etc. A friend, on the other paw, is someone with whom you have a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations; like Ms. Briggs, my partner, Sgt Fallon, who cares a lot about you, by the way. Then there's me...I would be considered your lover and friend. Understand?"

She frowned and thought about it. "Yes, I think I do.

"Good! Then it's a matter of training you to recognize which is which and how to build a friendship. Okay?"

"Sounds interesting."

"By the way, have you had time to get with Dr. Sinian on locating more of your people and learning more about them?"

She shook her head. "No, there's been no time."

"There is now. Make an appointment to see her and get started. You might have a bigger family out there that does care about you, won't know until you look," he said encouragingly.

He didn't know what her clan was truly like or he wouldn't be in such a hurry to meet more of them, she thought grimly. But he was right. She really didn't know if all the clans acted like hers or that hers was an aberration. She shivered. Gods! She truly hoped all of them weren't like that. It would mean the Kats had an unknown and deadly enemy waiting for the right moment to bring them together.

"You look spooked. What are you thinking?"

She turned away, not really wanting to talk about it but he wouldn't allow secrets between them then winced when he realized he was keeping one from her so who was he to talk? Shaking himself mentally, he soothed his conscious by telling it he would be revealing himself to her soon enough, especially if they were going to get even more serious. So, right now for her mental well being, he needed her to be up front with him about her fears and concerns.

He reached out and gently pulled her chin toward him so they were eye to eye. "What is it?"

She let out a breath then told him what she'd been worrying about. He shook his head and stared at her thoughtfully.

"Your concerns are valid as you know more about your people than I do however, as you've already told us, you know nothing about other clans and if yours was normal or not. I hope it isn't for your sake but I promise we will take due care when we seek out more of your kind, okay?"

Giving him a tentative smile, Ulera relaxed. "Yes, thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled warmly then a roguish spread across his masked face. "Are you ready for dessert?"

Eyeing him curiously and wondering what he was up to, she said cautiously, "I think so. What do you have in mind?"

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," he said mysteriously. "I want you to go back to the bedroom and strip. Lay on the bed on your back. I promise you, you will love what I have in mind," he said, smirking.

She cocked her head and eyed him, wondering what he was up to. "Alright." She got up and walked, hips swaying provocatively, out the kitchen door.

T-Bone nearly groaned aloud seeing that fine ass sashaying away like that. This evening was going to be good. He went to the fridge and retrieved some items he put on a tray. Smiling broadly, he cleared the table first, put out the candles, then picked up the tray and headed for the bedroom.

There she lay, as he'd asked her to, eyeing him with slumberous eyes that had his cock rising with excitement. She frowned in confusion at the items on the tray but said nothing.

Pleased she trusted him enough to do this, he hurriedly pulled his clothes off. Picking up a bottle that said chocolate syrup on it, he went to her side and grinned. "Now the fun begins." He proceeded to drizzle the syrup over each nipple then down to her mounds.

She gasped, her eyes round, at the delicious sensation of the cool syrup touching her. But what he did next sent her flying.

By the time darkness fell outside, she was limp, sticky, and wonderfully satisfied. He'd used whip cream, ice cubes, and warm honey during their long hours of play. She never knew such things could be sex toys. Her mate's choices consisted of whips, electro shock, cruel restraints, and other nasty devices that were suited more toward the S and M crowds. Something she'd learned was practiced by the more adventurous of the city dwellers when she was a lowly beat cop.

Gentle play that aroused a hotter fire was something she had no familiarity with. Her lover was a fantastic and skillful lover who knew how to draw out every ounce of pleasure from her body while she learned to do the same for him.

"You look very satisfied," he murmured, interrupting her thoughts as he licked her cheek lazily, too tired to do much else.

"Oh, that doesn't begin to describe what you've done to me. It was glorious and I love you so much for showing me another side of sex," she purred.

"You're welcome, sweetness. You deserve everything I can give you," he said warmly.

She hadn't believed that possible nor deserved it but his constant reassurances were convincing her that she did deserve happiness and believed his promise that he would be the one to give it to her. She sighed and smiled to herself.

I certainly made the right decision when I ran from home and came here, she thought. Who knew from such a dismal past, I would find true happiness?


End file.
